A/N: Sorry for the lack of faster updates! I hope this will be worth the wait and I promise to update faster! Thanks for the reviews! I answered them! Keep them coming!
Chapter 7: Hermione
"How do I look Harry?" Oliver asked, dressed in royal blue robes.
"You look fine Oliver," Harry answered while he finished dressing in hunter green robes and contacts, " Relax, why don't you?" He noticed his friend's constant sweating.
"I'm relaxed. I'm all right," Oliver took a deep breath.
"Really? You sure don't look the part."
"Don't you think it's time to look for Elizabeth?"
"You're blocking my door."
"Oh, sorry. See you later Harry." Oliver left, leading his way to Hermione's room, where his date was expecting him.
****
"Oliver! Don't you look good?" Fleur opened the door, taking what was left of his breath from him. She was dressed in midnight blue robes and had her hair combed to her waist. She looked beautiful. "Oh, you like what you see? Considering you can't stop staring at me," she commented in her usual seductive tone.
" Ahem! Pardon me. Ready to go?" he asked, offering her his arm. She took it gracefully and they went towards the Great Hall.
****
Viktor Krum and Harry arrived simultaneously to get behind a curtain, since they had to start the dance. There was Viktor, dressed in black robes, accompanied by...
" 'Mione?" Harry asked, thoroughly surprised. Of course, she didn't look like the Hermione he knew. She was dressed in bright yellow robes, her hair combed straight below her shoulders, and she was using makeup. She looked beautiful….astounding…perfect.
"Oh, hi Harry, Elizabeth," she smiled at Harry's date, dressed in burgundy robes. Harry thought she looked pretty, but not as beautiful as his best friend. Hold it! Crossing the line here! You don't think of Hermione in that way!
"Hermione," Elizabeth greeted back, snapping Harry out of his reverie.
"Doesn't she look great?" Fleur commented to Harry from behind, "I fixed 'er myself," she grinned. It was true; he couldn't stop staring at Hermione Granger.
"Harry! We're up!" Elizabeth brought him back to reality, again.
He realized that Hermione had already gone to the dance floor. They soon followed, Oliver and Fleur behind them.
It was a waltz. Harry was dancing with Elizabeth, but couldn't stop glancing at Hermione, who danced very well, so he could see. But he also noticed that she was far too close to Krum for his liking, and his stomach went somewhat grouchy. Why was this happening? This was Hermione, for crying out loud.
"Fleur, aren't you a little too close?" Oliver asked, trying to get a little more distance between them.
"Close? 'Zis is 'ze way 'ze dance is supposed to be," she replied, putting both arms on his shoulders, which meant, getting closer, of course.
"I know how the dance goes, but..." he stammered, and began to sweat.
"Oliver just relax. I don't bite," she whispered, laying her head on his shoulder, "Much."
Meanwhile Hermione was feeling really uncomfortable with Viktor. Sure, he was quite a gentleman, great and all, but still… she really hadn't been this close to a guy before. Not to mention her sight kept drifting towards Harry.
In her eyes, he looked so happy with Elizabeth and acknowledging that made her stomach do a strange flip- flop. She was wondering if she was going to get sick and why (we all know how Hermione is!), until Harry caught her gaze. She glanced back at Viktor, avoiding his deep emerald green stare.
To Hermione's luck, the dance ended and they were able to settle into their table. Hermione seated next to Fleur, who seated next to Oliver, who pulled his chair across Harry. Viktor sat on Hermione's side, while Elizabeth sat next to Harry.
"I'm going to get some punch Hermion-ninny. You vant some?" Viktor asked her, taking her hand, which she took strongly from his grasp.
"No. Thanks," she smiled shyly.
He went to get his punch just when the other dance started. At this time, Elizabeth went to powder her nose, leaving Harry alone with Hermione, Oliver, and Fleur, who was glaring at Oliver.
"Aren't you going to take me to dance?"
"Why?" he stammered.
"Because you're my date idiot!" Fleur barked, making him jump.
"All right, all right. May I have this dance?" he said, taking her hand.
"Certainly," she smiled, grasping his hand strongly. Oliver couldn't stop sweating.His date had quite a temperament.
"Want to dance with me?" Harry asked, taking Hermione's hand and surprising her in the process.
"Sorry?" Hermione gasped, startled.
"Well, Elizabeth is not here and Viktor isn't here. I just thought that maybe you wouldn't want to stay stuck in the table, unless you want to dance with Ron."
Hermione immediately grasped Harry's hand and stood up while he led her to the dance floor. Ron was still behaving strangely towards her and she didn't want to give him any more reason to. Fleur was right there, dancing with Oliver, even closer than before. No wonder Oliver looked tense.
Harry took Hermione's hand in his and put his other hand on her waist, getting her closer to him. She looked at him and smiled. Beautiful. There was one tiny problem during this quality time; he was beginning to have trouble breathing.
"So, having fun?" Hermione asked casually.
"Yeah. And you? Imagine so, considering how beautiful you look," Harry said truthfully, blushing as he realized his previous statement, but Hermione just smiled tenderly once more.
"Thank you Harry." She laid her head on his shoulder, making it harder to breathe for him. Snap out of it! This is Hermione! You'll scare her away! Hermione must have noticed his tenseness, for she quickly lifted her head and looked at him. "Something wrong Harry? Did Elizabeth arrive?"
" No, it's just..." He found himself getting closer to her. Her heart began to pound really fast. He was going to kiss her.
"Harry, my friend!" Ron shouted, laying his arm around Hermione, who got away and gave Ron a fierce look.
"Ron...what..." Harry was going berserk. One minute more and he would've kissed...
"Mind if I cut in? Wow, Hermione, don't you look hot? So, can I have this dance?" he said, getting Hermione closer to him.
"Actually Ron, I...don't feel so good. Excuse me," Hermione apologized, and without a second glance, exited the Great Hall.
"What's wrong with her?" Ron asked Harry, who sighed. He had almost kissed his best friend and he wasn't sure that he would've stopped had Ron not arrived. That was what bothered him.
Of course, he had almost no time to dwell on these thoughts, for Elizabeth came back.
****
"Hermione, are you all right?" Fleur asked as she entered her room.
Hermione came out of the bathroom, already dressed in her nightgown.
"Fleur, what are you doing here?" she asked with surprise. Last time she had seen the blond part-Veela, she was engaged in deep flirtation with the ex-Gryffindor Quidditch captain.
"I 'ad Oliver escort me early. I was worried. What 'appened? One minute you were dancing wiz 'Arry and 'ze next you were storming.... what 'appened wiz 'Arry?" she asked suspiciously.
"Nothing Fleur, absolutely nothing," Hermione sighed, burying herself in bed. And nothing would ever happen. That was the problem.