Hermione noticed as the night went on that Draco fit rather nicely into their small group; he was able to match Harry and Ginny in banter while still being friendly and accommodating. She smiled happily from next to him, finishing off her drink and then looking over at his glass.

"Would you like another?" She asked, gesturing towards his glass. "My treat since you bought the last round."

"Oh no, I can purchase this one," He answered in return, reaching for her glass instead.

She pulled her arm out of his reach and grinned. "I insist! You got the last two!"

He grinned as well as she walked away spitefully then and he looked back at Harry and Ginny. "Excuse us, will you? Granger, I refuse to let you pay for drinks tonight!"

The Potters both laughed as he went after Hermione, following her to the back of the line as she retorted, "You're going to be very disappointed then!"

They continued to bicker playfully over who would pay for the drinks as the line moved forward, and they both practically raced to the bar to be the first up there.

"Hello!" Hermione greeted quickly. "Another round of whiskey and wine, and please put it on-"

"My tab!" Draco finished triumphantly, giving her a smug grin.

She huffed but returned the grin, shaking her head. "Fine, Malfoy; you win this one."

"You should get used to it," He said cheerfully. "I never let my date pay for anything."

She raised an eyebrow while still smiling. "So, I'm your date now?"

"I'd like to think so, yes," He said.

"That's funny, I don't remember being asked," She said, turning away with her nose turned up slightly.

He laughed at this and the bartender hid a smile of his own as he overheard the conversation while pouring their drinks. He nodded to the two of them and they left the bar, walking back to where Ginny and Harry were quietly talking.

"Hermione?"

She turned to see a somewhat-terrified looking Ron staring at her, immediately dropping the arm of the raven-haired woman next to him. His date gave him a confused look and reached for his hand, which Hermione forced a smile at.

"Oh, Ronald," She greeted curtly. "What a surprise."

Then she looked towards the woman and said, "Hello! Your dress is simply beautiful!"

Draco gave Hermione a surprised look before looking back at Ron, who looked as if he were about to throw up.

"Thank you," The woman replied nervously in a clear American accent. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid we haven't met yet. I'm Rachael."

She held out a hand that Hermione simply looked down at. She didn't take it however as she continued to smile at Rachael. "I'm Hermione. How long have you and Ronald been together?"

Rachael nervously pulled her hand back and smiled slightly. "About a month."

"Ahhh..." Hermione then looked at Ron, tilting her head slightly and smiling again. "A month. How wonderful! You're such a lucky woman; Ronald is one of the most honest, caring, and truthful individuals."

Draco was now giving Hermione a nervous look. There was something unnervingly calm about her voice that was clearly throwing off both Ron and Rachael.

"Hermione, you're too kind," Ron muttered.

"You're right, I am," Hermione said smugly.

Draco grinned at this and Ron's brow furrowed. "Have you been drinking?"

Hermione took a sip of her glass in response before smiling sweetly at him. "Of course. It's a gala, one should enjoy it."

"I think you might be enjoying it too much," Ron said before looking up at Draco. He scowled then as he finally recognized the blond through his mask. "Malfoy? What are you doing here?"

"I'm enjoying my night with Hermione," Draco answered simply, reaching over to drape an arm around Hermione's waist.

Ron glared at him before looking back at Hermione. "Don't tell me you're with him! Really?"

The sweet smile only widened as Hermione tilted her head again. "I don't think you're in any position to tell me who I should spend my time with, Ronald. Especially considering our very recent history."

He stared at Hermione with wide eyes as Rachael pulled her hand away from his, looking at him now. "Ron, what is she talking about?"

"Maybe you should ask him just how recently he broke off his previous relationship," Hermione answered, catching the other woman's attention. "It's much more recent than you might think. It was very nice meeting you!"

Hermione pulled Draco away with her and noticed that he pulled her closer against him as they walked.

"Well that was rather fun to watch," Draco said in an amused tone. "I wish I could see how that unfolds."

"I'm sure we'll be able to see in the Prophet very soon," Hermione said smugly.

They made their way back to Harry and Ginny but Draco paused just before they made it as he noticed Hermione was shaking slightly.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked, looking down at her with a worried expression.

"I think so," Hermione said, taking a deep breath. "I wasn't expecting to actually run into him. I guess I'm just coming down from the adrenaline."

She took a drink to try and calm down, and he rubbed her arm reassuringly. "It's going to be alright. You honestly handled that beautifully."

"Thanks," She said, laughing slightly.

He smiled at her and she smiled in return, blushing again slightly. "Did you really mean that, about enjoying your night with me?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't," He said.

Her smile widened at this and she replied, "I'm enjoying my night too."

"Good." He nodded behind him then and asked, "Are you ready to go talk to Ginny and Harry again?"

"Actually, I kind of want to go dance again," Hermione said, looking back to the floor with the other couples. "And Harry and Ginny are already out there."

He looked up in surprise before nodding. "Alright then!"

They left their drinks on a nearby table and made their way out onto the dance floor, Draco pulling her close again. She didn't object to this, instead closing the gap and resting her head on his chest, smiling to himself. He smiled widely and put his chin on the top of her head as the two of them danced together slowly.

"This is really nice," Hermione said quietly.

Draco hummed in agreement, squeezing her hand. "If I'm being honest, I've wanted to do this for a while."

She pulled away slightly to look up at him. "What do you mean?"

"I meant it earlier when I said that I've always thought you were beautiful," Draco said quietly. "And after I finally was able to admit that to myself in fourth year, I was able to admit to other things soon after."

"What other things?" She asked curiously.

He smiled and said, "Like my feelings for you."

She blushed again, unable to hold back a smile. "Why did you never tell me about them?"

"Would you have believed me?" He asked.

"Maybe not, but still," She said with a shrug.

He laughed then and pulled her back against him as he said, "Well, I suppose we can always make up for lost time then."

"Are you asking me out, Draco Malfoy?" She asked in a sly voice. "I thought we discussed you asking me to things after assuming I was your date tonight."

"Well, you practically are," He said with a smirk. "Have you considered the position you're in right now?"

"I have, yes, and I'm quite enjoying it," She said lightly, looking up at him with her head still on his chest.

He grinned and rolled his eyes before saying, "Fine. Granger, would you care to have dinner with me tomorrow evening?"

"Hmph, I thought we were past calling each other by last names, Malfoy," She said pointedly, looking back down again. "I just might reconsider my current position."

He chuckled and tightened the arm around her waist. "As if I'd let you."

She didn't respond, only grinning as she closed her eyes. "Now, are you going to ask me properly?"

"Stubborn as ever," He said quietly.

"You apparently like that."

He grinned as well before asking, "Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow, Hermione?"

She looked up at him then with a wide smile. "Yes, Draco; I would love to."

His grin widened and he leaned down then without thinking, giving her a soft kiss. Much to his surprise, she leaned up into it with closed eyes as the two of them paused on the dance floor. Draco couldn't stop himself from smiling and reluctantly pulled away to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

"Why'd you stop?" Hermione asked, opening an eye.

He chuckled and said, "Well for one, we're somewhat in other peoples' way."

She frowned and looked around, feeling him pull her away to rejoin the dancing. "I suppose."

"And two, we have the rest of the night as well as our dinner date tomorrow," He said in an amused tone.

She blinked at him in surprise. "The rest of the night?"

"That is of course if you're okay with that," He said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to assume-"

"No, that's fine!" She said happily. "I just didn't want you to think you were some sort of rebound."

"I don't think that at all," He said, smiling widely at her.

She returned the smile and leaned against him again, closing her eyes as she felt him rest his head on top of hers as the two of them continued dancing together happily.

A/N: Well this was my first short story! I hope you all enjoy this, I certainly enjoyed writing this :) love you all! <3