It was the annual Christmas ball. Hogwarts held it every year. Despite it being Hermione's sixth year attending the school, the wonder and beauty of the setting and event never ceased to amaze her.. And this year was no different. Even her date, Harry, as dazzling as he was, wasn't as attention-grabbing as she sheer beauty of the decorations and charms set on the place. Music played and many couples danced out on the Great Hall's cleared floor. Many tables of food and drinks lined the walls, as did many chairs.
"Did I mention you look fantastic, Hermione?" Harry grinned at her, making her giggle. And he was right; she did look fantastic. She wore a long, floor-length red ball gown, the front cutting a bit low, but not low enough to be immodest. Her hair was in loose curls, some framing her face while a stylish clamp held the rest back, the locks falling to between her shoulder-blades. Her make-up was light but effective; she was gorgeous.
"I believe you did," she replied, grinning right back at him.
The night was going along smoothly; she'd danced with Harry, Ron, and even Neville. She chatted with Ginny, Luna, Pavarti, and Romilda Vane throughout the gathering as well. She didn't know, however, that Dumbledore was notorious for his enchanted mistletoe.
Another thing she didn't know was that this very mistletoe was going to turn her whole night upside down.
She had just finished plucking a small chocolate treat from one of the trays at a dessert table and had swallowed it before turning around to return to Harry, for a dance, perhaps. As soon as she turned to start walking away from the table, however, she bumped into something - rather, someone. As soon as she saw who it was, her pretty face contorted into a look of disgust. "Watch it, Malf - "
She was cut off by the pair being surrounded by a small bubble. At first she was wondering what the hell was going on, and she took a look at the blond git that was in the bubble with her. "What the hell did you do, Malfoy?"
"Shut it, Granger, I didn't do anything!" he snapped at her, looking around for a possible explanation to their sudden predicament. One test with her foot told Hermione that they were, indeed, trapped inside the bubble.
"We're trapped!" she said, beginning to panic. Trapped somewhere with Malfoy, near the corner where hardly anyone could see them? What the bloody hell was she going to do?
"Well that much is obviou - " Malfoy began, but then a faint light appeared over them. It was mildly dark in the corner, so the small, dim light helped them see what exactly was hanging over them.
A bright, lively branch of mistletoe hung above them. Hermione stared up at the plant with narrowed eyes. It was laughing at her. It was laughing at her, she could HEAR it! Why did she get stuck under mistletoe with Malfoy? Was fate so cruel as to do something so evil, so despicable?
Being a rather bright individual, it didn't take Hermione long to surmise that the bubble around them was due to the enchanted mistletoe above their heads. "Malfoy, this bubble won't let us leave until we do what.. people do under mistletoe."
"You're kidding me, right?" his voice was laced with utter disgust. This ruffled the witch's feathers, but the situation (and the fact that she was just used to it) defused her temper right afterwards. She merely cast an agitated glance at him.
"As much as I wish I were, ferret, I'm not kidding at all. Now let's get it over with so I can go back to my date." She hissed at him. Her heart was thumping so hard it was a loud drumming sound in her ears. Kissing Malfoy? Sure, he was the sexiest guy in school, but they were polar opposites and enemies till the end. As attractive as he was, she wasn't happy with this.
"This is just great.." he muttered, turning to the side and running a hand through his platinum blond hair. His stormy grey eyes looked out at the rest of the students; no one had seemed to notice them yet. "There isn't ANY other way out of this?"
"UGH!" She growled at him, furious. "You're just UNBEARABLE! You're crude and vile, you..! I don't have COOTIES, you big ba - "
And she could talk anymore because she had a hot, searing mouth on hers and hands on her face.
It was all she could do not to pass out from the sheer shock and electricity thundering through her body, down her spine. She trembled and grasped his forearms weakly, her knees threatening to buckle as he kissed her silly. She had never been kissed like this, and she may have hated Malfoy with every fiber of her being, but God, he was a good kisser...
She hadn't even noticed the bubble and mistletoe had disappeared. All she could think about was his mouth, those hands, that body, that hair, those eyes... His hands that were traveling down her neck and brushing along her waist.. And he tugged her roughly to him, her body flush against his. It seemed he was lost in that kiss as well, and she grasped the front of his robes in her fingers, kissing him back with all she had.
And suddenly cool air hit her slightly swollen lips. She opened her hazy eyes to see Malfoy giving her an intense, smoldering look, before quickly stalking away, leaving her there.
She touched a finger to her wet mouth, gazing at his retreating form. What had just happened?
All the while, neither of the two noticed the sparkling blue eyes of an old wizard, watching them pleasantly as they dealt with what had just occured.
"Albus, you're quite the troublemaker," McGonagall commented with a knowing smile, stifling a chuckle.
The older man's chest rumbled with a soft laugh. "Minerva, I'm merely making the school a better place."
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