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"Hiding from someone back here, Granger?" She recognized that low drawl anywhere and instantly felt a chill run up her spine.
"Malfoy, what are you doing here?" she asked, her brows pulled together as she regarded him.
"Surprised I was invited?" he snapped back, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his dark, onyx robes.
"Of course not." she waved away his accusation as she scanned the room for the man she was avoiding. "You're a very intelligent wizard, I'm not at all surprised you received an invitation. I simply meant, what are you doing standing behind this curtain with me? Maybe I'm not the only one hiding from their date." she joked, pushing him aside carefully to move the fabric and capture Harry attention. She waved him over before disappearing behind the drape again.
"Pansy can be quite annoying in large doses. Just needed a break, but I see this spot has already been taken. " He was about to walk back out from behind the curtain when Cormac appeared out of nowhere. Draco heard the witch beside him curse under her breath, turning quickly to duck around the fabric and disappear on the other side just in time.
"I swear, I just saw my date over this way. Did you see where she escaped to?" he asked Draco, who quickly snapped his jaw shut when Harry Potter answered instead.
"I think she just went to powder her nose." he lied smoothly, pointing towards the hallway across the room.
He thanked him with a hard smack on the shoulder, Harry rolling his eyes once he was gone.
"Your friend sure knows how to pick em' doesn't she? First Weasley, now McLaggen. You should really sit her down and have a talk about that self esteem of hers." Draco quipped, grabbing a glass of champagne as it floated by on a tray. He was surprised when Harry responded with a laugh instead of a retort.
"Hermione, come on out. He's gone." Harry called out, the petite witch returning with a sigh, wrapping her arms around Harry neck.
"Thanks." she breathed. "I'll come find you and Luna in a second." she vowed as she watched Pansy nearing their hiding place. Draco mirrored her earlier cursing, turning his back and moving further towards the back of the room.
"Mudblood." The inky haired girl greeted with a sneer. "Seen Draco anywhere?"
"You know, I actually saw him leave with Daphne Greengrass just a few moments ago. They looked rather cozy together." she answered, feigning boredom. She heard Malfoy laugh behind her as Pansy bolted for the exit.
"Quite a Slytherin when you want to be." he joked, reaching up and grabbing a stray pin from her hair. He dropped it into her hand with an arched brow.
"You can do better then McLaggen, by the way." he said, watching as she smoothed her hair down from her dates earlier unwanted advances.
"He's very handsy. I'm not interested in someone who doesn't respect the word, no." she replied, rolling her eyes as she slid the pin back into place. It held her curls neatly out of her face while she smoothed out her blush colored dress.
"Want me to rough him up a bit?" he asked, his tone giving nothing away. She couldn't tell if he was joking but decided he must have been.
"I'm sure you would be doing plenty of woman a favor." she said, smiling at Luna from across the room as she waved her over. "I better get back to my friends. Happy Christmas." she said, giving Draco a small smile before she disappeared.
The next morning when Cormac was absent from Potions class, she turned to Harry and whispered her curiosity.
"Apparently, he got hit with a Knee-Reversal Hex after the party last night." Draco answered from the row behind them. "Such an odd thing, no one seems to saw what happened." Harry shrugged in response, turning back around to his face his desk.
Draco met Hermione's dark brown eyes, smiling coyly at her. She mouthed a silent 'thank you' before turning her attention to the professor at the front of the classroom.