Lifelines (Draco X Hermione)

Chapter 12 YULE BALL

HERMIONE smiled as the watched students dance in the great hall. Somehow throughout it all, they had managed to pull off the Yule Ball. It was strange to already be celebrating Christmas, but the enchanted celling and white frosted decorations transported them to another world. She thought that she would have been sick of new worlds, but it felt exciting.

Even getting ready felt like a novelty. She had chosen a simple deep blue fit and flare dress that rested just at her ankle. Apart from some muggle smoothing hair serum she hadn't done too much with her hair, she had found a black ribbon to tie around her hair. Ginny had convinced her to add some pink lipstick and eyeshadow. But she didn't feel the need to over complicate it. "You look stunning Mione" Harry had said as they met in the common room. Ron mumbled in agreement but appeared to keep some distance.

"You both look very nice" she added with a smile. "Ginny should be right down, Ill just need to go see if they need help with anything. I'll see you there" she smiled before walking away. It had been so long since she had worn heels of this kind, it made the distance to the hall further – Hogwarts was not built for this.
She had been surprised to have seen Draco directing people around. His suit as expected fit him perfectly, and he was the epitome of sophistication. "Good evening" Hermione had said. She felt proud to have caught him off guard. Draco watched how her dress hugged her hips and swayed as she walked, she was beautiful. Even with her wild hair – he had thought her beautiful. She was everything he had dreamed to have been, unapologetically herself and unspoken. Traits that had been worn out of him with his father's lessons. He stepped close enough to take a deep breath of her vanilla perfume. Draco took a moment admiring her beauty. They had so much to say, granted that the last time that they had seen each other inside another lifeline.

Are your feelings as confusing as mine? He had wanted to ask. He restrained himself and took a quick step back. It was alarming how important he knew outwards appearances to be, and yet she disarmed his stone façade at the blink of an eye. She probably didn't even know what power she held over him, granted all that had just occurred.

"Good evening" it was the last words they had said before the ball had started and they tended to their friends. On opposite sides of the room. Hermione often found her gaze drifting over in search for a familiar tall blond. What was going on in his head, after everything that they had gone through – did he know that he was the topic of her every thought.

Hermione had been happily chatting to Harry and Ginny when it happened.

As the beat played, her mind caught and in the fantast instance her glass of pumpkin punch slipped from her fingers onto the ground. Juice and glass shattered across the floor. Only the people closest to them stopped to turn, but the music and chatter had been too loud to cause further disruption. She could feel her heart thudding in her chest.
She knew this song, but it couldn't have been it.

How could it be the same.
"Hermione, what's wrong!" Ginny gasped stepping around the glass and mess. Hermione looked as if she had seen a ghost. Ginny watched as Hermione glanced around the room in a panicked motion, as if searching for someone. It was frantic, panicked.
The faint sound of the song, spired Hermione to walk and search around the room quickly. Leaving the mess behind them, the Hermione that Ginny knew would have tied it up quickly for safety. Ginny mumbled a quick clean up with the wave of her wand before following behind her friend.

"Hermione, you are scaring me, what is going on" it was Ginny's turn to be worried. Her best friend had been called too many times to the headmistress's office and spent far too much time with Draco Malfoy. Draco stood in the corner, his eyes glancing around the room. He felt his stomach flip when he saw Hermione standing on the other side of the room starting at him. This was their song, in every stupid lifeline; the soft tune had followed them. Of course, she would have picked up on it. She started at him motionless. He waited and watched her with curiosity.
Draco waited patiently for Hermione to make the first move. But all he wanted to do was lead her into a dance. To place his hand on the skin of her back and fill his mind with the warmth of her vanilla perfume. To hold her close enough to notice the light brown streaks in her hair. The small freckles that littered her cheeks. Instead, she blushed and took a step back. Weasley was beside her, and one last high-pitched note Hermione caught her out of her trance. "I am fine Ginny, just had to check on something" she had said. She didn't spare Draco another look as she followed the redhead away. Pulling out her wand she cleaned up a mess quickly.

Perhaps that was what the problem with their timeline was, despite their supposed attraction to each other – life always had a perfect way of getting in the way and disrupting it. The image of Draco and Hermione would cause a stir but wasn't that the whole point. If they were apparently destined to each other; Draco was convinced that it was better to get it over and done with. Medera would disagree to that idea all together. Draco felt surprised when the evening concluded, and he had not seen Hermione again. In his head, she didn't look like a Granger anymore – they had gone through too much in this lifeline and their last for him to still call her that. The weight of his pocket increased as he remembered what he was holding.

Medera had given them each a vile containing a key to a timeline. Feeling curious he walked down the empty and damp feeling hallway to the headmistress's office. Knocking softly, he was glad when his knocked met the hard wood door. He couldn't turn back now. "Mr Malfoy, please do come in" she smiled. McGonagall didn't say another word, except with a curious smile watched the boy approach the pensive and copy Medera's actions exactly. Leaving him to his privacy she left the room.