Halloween Mix-Up

Halloween Mix-Up

by: Tassana Burrfoot







Chapter Thirty-One: Valentine's Day Part One





Draco stared at his reflection in the mirror. He checked his dress robes for the umpteenth time and straightened the small white carnation sticking out of his pocket. He reached for his cologne and stopped himself.



I already put some of that on, he reminded himself, again, for the umpteenth time.



He couldn't remember a time when he had been so nervous. Actually? He had never been this nervous before in all of his life. And that includes getting ready for Hogwarts when he was eleven years old.



His fate rested in the results of tonight's events. And the worst part? Hermione was ignoring everyone.



Earlier that morning, Draco had made an effort to go to her apartment to check on her. What he found instead was a distraught Weaslette knocking impatiently on the door. To make matters even worse, it seemed not even Potter was able to get through to the brunette.



Draco took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He really didn't know what tonight would bring. He worried if he would like the results. He prayed that he would.





(II) (II)



Draco wasn't the only one getting ready for tonight's events. Severus stepped out of his shower and walked over to the sink. He magicked his overnight growth off his face and brushed his teeth.



He had been doing a lot of thinking since Miss Granger had announced her love for him. Not surprising, considering that was the only thing to occupy his time. For whatever reason, she had shunned attention from everyone since that day.



Severus walked into his room and began changing into his dress robes. He never really was one to enjoy dances, but this dance was special. Tonight would reveal whether or not he was her true love.



Slipping on his white oxford, Severus still didn't know what to think about that. The idea that he could even be a contender astounded him. And the fact that she had admitted to actually loving him meant that he really had a chance. It could be him.



(III) (III)



For once in his life, Ron was thankful that he had older brothers. Brothers like the twins had bought him a new, nicer set of dress robes. He grinned at his reflection. He looked good.



Sure Ron was nervous, but he was confident as well. Hermione and he went a long ways. He was certain he would become her true love. After all, it made sense, didn't it?



"Seamus, Hermione wants you to escort Parvarti to the dance," Ginny told the Irish boy, while watching her brother fix his collar.



"You've spoken with her?" Seamus asked, turning to look at the female redhead.



Ginny shrugged. "About as much as everyone else has. She did speak to me long enough to inform me of that. She wants you to escort Parvarti, Harry to escort me, and Ron to escort Luna."



"And who's going to escort her?" Ron asked, nearly snorting. "Not Malfoy or Snape?"



Ginny, again, shrugged. "I honestly don't know. She hasn't spoken to either one, so, I am unsure. I'm just the messenger. Now, I'm going to go get ready. The three of you need to be downstairs in thirty minutes. Don't be late."



With that, the girl left, leaving the three boys glancing at one another in amused surprise. Seamus shook his head as he took a turn in front of the mirror. "Our luck it'll be Snape," he commented.



"Shh!" Ron hissed. "Don't jinx it! We haven't even seen her yet. Besides, who has ever heard of a Gryffindor being the true love of a Slytherin? It's bound to be one of us, mate."



Harry did not comment, though he was worried about his friend. Hermione hadn't spoken to anyone in days and, while it didn't seem to bother Ron and Seamus, it bothered Harry. It wasn't like her to not talk to anyone.



In all honesty, the results didn't really matter to Harry. He was just glad this whole ordeal was finally coming to a close.



(IV) (IV)



Draco jumped when the fireplace glowed green and his parents stepped through. He whirled on his heel and looked at them in surprise. "What are you doing here?" he asked.



Narcissa shrugged. "Professor Dumbledore asked us to attend this dance. Something about needing chaperons, though I think that is utterly ridiculous," she commented, wrinkling her nose in disgust.



Lucius made no comment on the matter, but simply glanced about the room. "It's much... smaller than I remember," he observed.



Both of his family members rolled their eyes. "It's not smaller. You've just grown too large for it," Narcissa reprimanded.



He furrowed his eyebrows. "Too large?" he repeated as though tasting something dreadful.



She shook her head. "Always the arrogant one," she sighed. "I meant, you've lived in the Manor so long since your days here that, of course, it seems smaller. You would be surprised how much hasn't changed since your absence, I'm sure."



"Are you ready?" Draco asked, getting bored with his parents' banter.



Narcissa gave him a genuine smile. "You look so handsome. Are you meeting Granger?" she questioned.



Draco felt the colour drain from his face, but shrugged. In all honesty, he didn't know. "I was hoping to escort her, but she won't even talk to me," he answered.



"What did you do?" Lucius inquired, pinching his lips together in annoyance.



Draco threw his hands in the air. "I have no bloody idea! She won't talk to anyone, not me, not the Professor, not even Potter. I saw the Weaslette standing in front her door this morning trying to get in to no avail. She's been like this for days."



"Are you sure she's even there?" Narcissa asked.



Draco nodded. "She comes out for food and class, but that's about it. Even during those times she doesn't speak to anyone. In class, she doesn't raise her hand to answer questions and if one of the teachers calls on her, she just shrugs as though she doesn't know the answer."



Lucius raised an eyebrow. "And she hasn't been submitted to the Imperius Curse?"



Draco shook his head. "She's completely coherent and there. She doesn't have that look in her eye that people who are under the Imperius Curse get. And she's still making outstanding grades. She's just... not talking."



His parents glanced at each other.



(V) (V)



Hermione stared up at the ceiling in her bedroom. Valentine's Day was finally here. Finally, after all of this waiting, she would know.



But, didn't she already know? Hadn't her heart been telling her the entire time?



For the past couple of weeks she had been trying to listen to her heart. She hoped against hope that if she listened close enough, she could hear what her heart was trying to say and discover who her true love was before this day.



It hadn't worked.



Or had it?



It had to have. Because, lying across her bed, staring up at the ceiling, undressed, she had a feeling she knew who it was. The thought did two things: it excited her and terrified her.



She would finally be able to put an end to all of this madness. Finally, after these past months, she'll be able to rest.



But, someone was going to get hurt. Actually, now that she thought on it, more than one would get hurt today. And that terrified her.



She didn't want to hurt anyone. It bothered her that she would know that it was she that was causing them pain and grief. But, there wasn't anything she could do about it.



It was time to move on.



She sat up and looked about her room. She wondered, briefly, if Professor Dumbledore would send her back to Gryffindor Tower after all of this. After all, she was no longer in any danger of touching someone. But, that didn't mean the rumours would finally be put to an end.



She missed her dorm mates, but at the same time, she knew it would be a never-ending battle with them. They would always think terrible things about her and talk about her behind her back. They would call her names and treat her like trash. There was no escaping it.



She sighed and knew it was time to get ready. She had to. Everyone was waiting for her. It was time to bring it to an end.



She showered, dressed, put on some makeup, and did her hair. She used everything that Draco had given her, including the effects. She did not feel bad about using them, regardless of any thoughts she might have.



She looked up at the sound of soft knocking on her door. Grabbing her wand, she walked into her common room and waved her wand in front of the door to see who it was. She smiled at the sight of her headmaster. She couldn't think of a better person to retrieve her.



"You may enter," she offered as she took a seat in her favourite chair.



Eyes glittering, Dumbledore walked into the room and smiled at her. "You look stunning, Miss Granger," he commented. "Are you ready?"



"Thank you, Professor," she returned. "I suppose I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Although, I do have one small request. Actually, two. I would like to enter the Great Hall unaccompanied. And..."



He smiled. Her entrance song would be perfect.

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Author's Note: Oooo.. Don't you just love cliffies? Don't worry, the last chapter will be posted at midnight, followed by an epilogue in the morning. And no. I'm not telling you how it ends.