Into the Labyrinth - Dramione/Blinny

Ch. 12

Hermione looked down at Draco's offered hand, hesitating. She glanced over to see that Blaise was also reaching a hand out to Ginny, who seemed just as hesitant as the brunette. Hermione looked back to Draco and found that he was only smiling patiently, and her fingers twitched at her side.

"What's going to happen?" She asked nervously.

"I promise that you will enjoy it," He said earnestly. "And if you are uncomfortable, simply say the word and we will return to this spot so that you can continue on your way."

She searched his face for any sign of trickery or deceit but found none. Without thinking, she reached up and took the hand he offered, his smile widening at this. As his fingers clasped gently around her hand, she felt his hand squeeze hers ever so slightly before he transported her away.

They landed at the edge of a large ballroom filled with other people dressed in some of the most glamorous outfits that Hermione had ever seen. She was surrounded by a sea of satin and tulle of all different colors, the twirling skirts and beautiful music almost enchanting her. But Draco taking her hand and resting it on the inside of his elbow grounded her, and she was content to look around as he led her through the crowd of dancing people.

She was somewhat surprised when he led her straight to Ginny and Blaise; the red head was as much in awe of their new surroundings as she was and barely noticed when her friend approached. Blaise seemed to be just as amused at Ginny's reaction to the ballroom as Draco was with Hermione's reaction.

"Ladies," Blaise announced then, catching both their attention as he gave a slight bow. "If you'll excuse us momentarily, we will be checking on a few details for tonight."

With that, he gave Ginny a warm smile before leaving her side as Draco stepped away while squeezing Hermione's hand, and the two kings disappeared into the sea of dancers.

Ginny immediately moved closer to Hermione with wide eyes, looking her up and down. "I didn't get the chance to look closely at your dress earlier, but it is absolutely stunning!"

"Yours is too!" Hermione said happily, stepping back to look her friend up and down. "It's such a beautiful color for you!"

"I'm shocked by how much I love it," Ginny admitted, looking down and running a hand over her skirt. "You know I'm not one for sparkles, but this is just beautiful."

"I wonder what the occasion is," Hermione said then, looking away towards the crowd of dancers.

Both girls fell silent after this as they watched everyone around them, with Hermione taking a silent note of the fact that she and Ginny were both dressed much more extravagantly than the rest of the attendants. Not that their attire wasn't fancy; the outfits seemed muted in a sense as the colors were more natural tones of browns, tans, and greens. It was as if Hermione and Ginny were truly meant to shine amongst the others.

"Still think it's a genuine thing?" Ginny asked quietly to Hermione, catching her friend's attention.

After a moment of contemplation, Hermione nodded. "I don't get the sense that they're trying to stall us right now. I think they're legitimately wanting to give us a break from the labyrinth."

"Why though?" Ginny asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. "They have no reason to do this."

Hermione didn't answer immediately, thinking back to all of the things the two kings had done that they had no reason to do for her and Ginny. While she wouldn't put it past either of them to simply want to mess with their heads, she had a feeling that there was a legitimate reason for Draco and Blaise suddenly checking on them every so often and assisting when the girls were in trouble.