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With timid steps, the brightest witch of her age, entered the great hall. She usually carried herself quite well even as a muggle born. Something very few can do. There are, unfortunately, prejudices even in the wizarding world. And not everyone can handle those.
Hermione Granger, although posessing quite a strong persona, does have insecurities here and there like everyone else. Her diffidences come up here and there too. Woefully for the witch, her self-doubt decided to creep into her tonight.
Rubbing her left arm with her right hand, she searched the room for her friends. By friends, she didn't mean the ones she shares a dorm room with. For four years, she has maintained a decent relationship with the likes of Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil but even that was taxing.
Faking smiles and forcing laughter made her tired like she's aged thrice her actual age. And while Harry Potter and Ron Weasley have been great friends, she feels like she's been stuck in the same lonely place. They are charming friends for sure, and she loves them a lot, but none of them managed to be on the exact same page as her.
Turning on her heels, she searched the sea of people for red hair. She's going to find them that way easier. As she walked more to the center of the room, she noticed people staring at her. This made her a bit anxious.
Hermione started seeing walls and walls of insincerity, as the people in the room shifted gaze at her. It was mostly her housemates that made her feel uncomfortable. She knew how they talked behind her when they thought she wasn't listening.
Know-it-all. Smarty pants. Attention seeker. Swankpot. They called her names. And her only fault was being the smartest in class.
Getting dizzy, she fisted the side of the skirt of her periwinkle dress, trying to stabilize her creeping anxiety. Breathe. Hermione closed her eyes only for a fraction of a second and then she opened them again.
The first thing she saw was a pair of grey eyes. It belonged to the young man who stood across from her -- but only by a few yards -- whose hair is just as striking as the Weasleys' except his is almost white, if not already. No matter how shocking the hair is though, it was the look in his eyes that made Hermione forget she was even perturbed.
He kept eye contact with her, and if she were in the right disposition, she could almost read the message he was sending. Have we met? It wasn't long until she saw him cross the room to where she stood.
"You're Hermione Granger." He said as soon as he was an arm's length away from her. "Yes, I know." Hermione responded all too quickly without thinking. It seems like it will be difficult to be herself tonight.
She received chuckling as a response. And Merlin! He has the most beautiful smile if she ever saw one. "Draco Malfoy." He said, offering his hand for a shake.
The next thing Hermione knew, she wasn't alone anymore. She didn't feel lonely anymore as he continued to have an exchange with her. And she was thankful about that.
"Why do you keep looking at the floor?" He asked. "Is there something on it that you're seeing that I don't?" He pressed, and Hermione can tell it was an honest question, as he looked at the floor with curiosity etched on his face.
"There is nothing. It's just that, people are staring at me." Hermione confessed. She didn't really want to seem weak in front of him. Especially if she just found out he is the Draco Malfoy from Slytherin. He is the smartest wizard of their lot, only second to her in the overall rankings. But he already saw through it. Her timid side.
This is the first time she's ever really talked to anyone from another house. She also ever only see them at the great hall during meal time. And the only reason she knew anyone from Hufflepuff was because of a shared class when a professor couldn't be present and another professor came as a substitute.
But she is talking to Draco Malfoy. Everybody knows him. Even she does. Especially if Harry and Ron and maybe everyone in Gryffindor kept talking about him. The male lot throwing shade here and there while the female lot have only nice things to say.
None of how she knew him by gave justice to how she's learning about him however. His pictures never gave him justice, nor the conversations about him she's heard. She considered herself wonderstruck as she stood next to him.
"I am sorry to say this, but they are looking at me." She heard him say. "What?" Hermione asked, clearly not in her head space again. "They are looking at me." He repeated, leaning a bit to his side to whisper to her like he was passing notes in secrecy.
It was Hermione's turn to giggle this time. Genuinely. Moreso when he added, "I am quite handsome you see. Though I have been doubting for a while now. Or do you need glasses to see that?"
Needless to say, the night had been flawless. The great hall's ceiling, being charmed to look like the sky, revealed it was snowing outside the castle. And in Draco Malfoy's company, it felt like she had her personal snow, patterned as a very charming person.
She almost lamented the loss the moment they parted. Not to mention Ron accused her of fraternizing with the enemy. She had to school them -- she was terribly sorry to Harry for being dragged into it -- that the Yule Ball was for everyone to get to finally know the students from other houses.
The night unfortunately had to turn sour just as soon as she thought it was perfect. Yet, as she laid on her bed at 2am, she wondered who Draco Malfoy loved until it was time to wake up. It was the kind of wondering she never knew she'd experience. She had been curious only when studying afterall.
Please don't have somebody waiting on you.
Meeting Draco Malfoy was something else. It was nothing short of magic. Hermione considered herself enchanted. And she wonders if he knows it.