Cake, Anyone?

Chapter 4: Cake, Anyone?

A/N: So, sorry about the really long wait guys (and girls, of course). I had quite a pile of schoolwork that needed to be attended to first. Here's the final chapter for this story. I really hope you enjoy reading it, and don't forget to review at the end. (You know you want to.) Alright, enough of my babbling . . . on with the story. ~Jen

After dinner that night, Hermione and Draco took the model they had made down to the Great Hall and set to work decorating the massive room. Draco worked on the banners and setting up the stage, on which they had decided to add a backdrop mural of huge dice, cards, and poker chips doing various things, in order to spice up the stage area a bit. Hermione was working on setting up the tables, gaming and dining, and creating the dance floor. After about ten minutes, they both placed the balloons around the room, and Draco carefully recreated his balloon archway in front of the doors.

Then, the pair looked around and checked the model to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything. When they had confirmed that everything was done, Draco casually flicked his wand, causing soft music to play.

"May I have this dance?" he asked, bowing to Hermione.

"Draco, I'm really tired and . . ."

"Come on, Hermione, it's just a dance," he said with his signature smirk on his face.

"Oh, alright," Hermione said as she accepted his hand.

Draco immediately pulled her close, and they began to sway. After a few minutes, Hermione gave in against her better judgment and laid her head on Draco's shoulder. Unknown to Hermione, this action only caused Draco to smile wider. Soon, the song ended, and Hermione reluctantly lifted her head and went to pull away but found Draco was still holding her rather close.

With their faces inches apart, Draco whispered, "Can I try something?"

Hermione, not totally able to focus her thoughts this close to Draco, nodded numbly. Then, before she could register what was happening, Draco's lips gently brushed against hers. Hermione was slightly stunned, but soon started to respond to his kiss. He gradually deepened the kiss until . . .

"DRACO!! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

Pansy had somehow found out about the decorating session and was now standing underneath the balloon archway, looking murderous. Draco let go of Hermione instantly and spun around to face Pansy. Hermione tried to steady herself, her head still spinning and her knees threatening to give out on her after that truly wonderful kiss.

"Pansy, I can explain . . ." Draco said, though, surprisingly, he didn't seem very panicked about being caught kissing another girl.

"NO! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR EXCUSES! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE KISSING HER OF ALL PEOPLE!" Pansy screamed at Draco.

Deciding it was best to leave before she got caught up in this argument, Hermione slipped out of the hall, unnoticed by the yelling couple. As she made her way back to the Heads' dorm, she couldn't figure out why Draco had kissed her. Had he changed his mind? Did he want her now instead of Pansy? Ugh! Stupid Pansy ruined a perfect moment! Why can't she have worse timing!!

When she reached the portrait, Hermione gave it the password, went into her room and threw herself on her king-sized bed. At that point, she heard the portrait open. Great! They've come back here to "make up!" I just wish Draco would see how stupid Pansy is! Why does he always go crawling back to her? She doesn't deserve him!

Hermione walked over to her wardrobe and took out her dress for tomorrow's dance. Her dress was a simple, red strapless, knee-length dress with a black ribbon belt around the waist. The skirt of the dress was bunched up slightly, looking a lot like a budding rose. When she and Ginny had tried on dresses, this had been the first dress Hermione had picked out. She loved the way it looked on her, showing off all her curves wonderfully. Well, if I can't go to the dance with Draco, at least I'll be able to knock him dead in this dress; EVEN IF Pansy's still in the picture. I'm not giving up yet. Draco was going to realize what he was giving up by picking Pansy; she'd make sure of that.

After she was ready for bed, Hermione realized she hadn't heard any of the usual sounds associated with Draco and Pansy's snogging. Quietly, she crept out of her room and looked down into the common room from the staircase. She saw Draco sitting on one of the couches but didn't see Pansy anywhere. I wonder what happened. Maybe they actually broke up!! Hermione pushed her excitement down; she couldn't set herself up for another disappointment. Slowly and cautiously, she made her way over to the couch and sat down beside Draco.

Noticing movement to his right, Draco turned his head to see Hermione sit down beside him.

"Is everything okay, Draco?"

Without answering her question, he leaned in quickly and kissed her passionately. Hermione, reluctantly, used all the self-control she could muster and pulled away from him...a serious look on her face.

"Draco, you can't keep playing my emotions like this! Is Pansy still in the picture or not?" Hermione asked, dreading the answer.

"No, she's not in the picture anymore," Draco said with a small smile.

"So, what does this mean? For us?" Hermione asked cautiously.

"It means, should you accept, I'd like to be your date for the dance."

"R-really?" Hermione asked, trying to stay calm.

"Yes and . . ." Draco continued.

"And what?" Hermione asked quickly, unable to hide her joy this time.

"I want you to be my girlfriend," Draco finished with a wide smile.

Hermione launched herself at Draco, knocking him down on the couch. She kissed him passionately, and he responded with just as much passion. Then, Hermione remembered a vital question she had to ask Draco before she could let herself become too involved with him. Again, she reluctantly pulled away and sat up, allowing Draco to sit up as well.

"I'm guessing that was a 'yes'?" Draco asked with a slight chuckle.

"It was, but I need to know something first."

"Okay, what?"

"Did you ever . . . did you . . . um, sleep with Pansy?" Hermione asked quietly.

"NO! Who ever told you that?" Draco replied shocked.

"Pansy," She answered quietly.

"Oh, well, she always did like to brag, but I swear I didn't sleep with her."

"Then, why was she wearing your shirt the day she and I got in a fight?"

"That was because she was slightly drunk when she came over that night. She ended up passing out, so I carried her up to my room. I swear, Hermione, nothing happened. In the morning, she must have grabbed one of my shirts or something."

Hermione looked him directly in the eyes, and when his silvery-blues met her chocolate brown ones, she knew he wasn't lying.

"I believe you. If you say nothing happened, nothing happened."

"So do I have a girlfriend?" Draco asked with a hint of worry.

"Yes."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hermione awoke Saturday morning with a smile on her face. She and Draco had spent most of the night snogging in the common room. Hermione's smile widened; she had always dreamed of being in Pansy's place, and now she was. She went to get out of bed, and that's when she realized the arm around her waist. Puzzled, she looked to her left. There was Draco lying on the bed with no shirt on. Panicking slightly, Hermione took a deep breath and looked under the covers. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw her pajamas and Draco's plaid pajama pants were still on their bodies. Trying not to wake Draco, Hermione attempted to slide out from under his arm; but he only tightened his grip and pulled her closer to him. Deciding a couple more minutes of sleep wouldn't hurt her, Hermione lay her head back down on her pillow, not noticing Draco's grin when she snuggled a bit closer to him.

An hour later, Hermione woke to Draco, with his head propped up on his pillow by his arm, staring at her.

"Good morning, beautiful," Draco said with a smile.

"Good morning. How long have you been watching me sleep?" Hermione asked.

"About five minutes."

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"You look really cute when you're sleeping," Draco responded before leaning in and giving Hermione a kiss.

Hermione responded to the kiss and soon the pair was snogging again. A few minutes later, Draco pulled away.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked breathlessly.

"Nothing, it's just . . . If we don't stop now, I'll probably lose control, and I don't think either of us is quite ready for that."

"No, I guess not."

The pair slowly rolled out of bed. Draco returned to his room, and then, they both dressed for the day. When they were done getting ready, Draco and Hermione had brunch in their kitchen and then decided to go walk around the grounds together before Hermione would have to return to the dorm and start getting ready for the dance with Ginny.

They spent hours just walking and talking about anything and everything. In those wonderful hours, Draco further confirmed that he had made the right decision when he chose Hermione. She's understanding, she listens to me, and seems to bring out the best in me. I wonder why it took me so long to realize it.

Far too soon, the couple headed back to the castle and up to their dorm. When they neared the portrait, hand in hand, they saw Ginny waiting outside.

Hearing footsteps approaching, Ginny turned to look at the couple. At first, she looked shocked to see them holding hands, and then, she looked curiously at Hermione, who nodded. Ginny smiled widely and hugged her friend once Hermione was close enough. The three entered the dorm, Draco heading to his room and the girls to Hermione's.

Once inside Hermione's room, Ginny bombarded her with questions about how she had gotten together with Draco. Hermione patiently answered each question while she started doing Ginny's hair. An hour later, Hermione had Ginny's hair and makeup done. She had decided on simply curling Ginny's hair slightly and then pinning one side back using a cute pearl barrette. For her makeup, Hermione had again stayed simple, only using a little mascara, black eye liner, and pink eye shadow and lip gloss.

Now, it was Hermione's turn. She sat in the chair to her vanity and closed her eyes. After about another hour, Ginny declared that she was done. Hermione opened her eyes. Ginny had tamed her hair, so it now had more curl definition and less frizz...it was pulled into a fancy side ponytail with small roses around the hair tie. Hermione's makeup was a light amount of mascara, black eye liner, bronze eye shadow and a glossy light red lipstick. As Hermione was looking over her appearance, Ginny had put on her dress, a black halter cocktail dress. Hermione slipped on her own dress, and both girls headed down to the common room where their boyfriends would be waiting.

When Harry spotted Ginny and Hermione, he stopped talking to Draco, signaling the Head Boy to turn around and watch the girls descend the stairs. Both boys were speechless.

"Well, what do you think?" Hermione asked.

"It's . . . It's . . . You look gorgeous, Hermione!" Draco finally said after a few seconds.

"Why, thank you. You look quite handsome as well."

Soon, the two couples made their way down to the Great Hall. When they arrived, Draco and Hermione made a couple of announcements and then led everyone into the Great Hall to begin the dance.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A few hours into the dance, the band took a break and the karaoke was set up for people to try. Hermione and Draco were having a blast! They were at the roulette table when they heard a familiar voice singing:

"In a second you'll be wrapped around my finger

Cause I can, cause I can do it better

There's no other

So when's it gonna sink in

She's so stupid

What the hell were you thinking?"

Pansy was on stage, staring straight at the couple. She looked quite angry at the two of them. When the lights on the stage hit her dress, which was a simple green-sequined cocktail dress, Hermione and Draco had to look away because of the glare. This made Pansy even more desperate for attention, so she sang even louder and slightly off key.

"Hey! Hey! You! You!

I don't like your girlfriend!

No way! No way!

I think you need a new one

Hey! Hey! You! You!

I could be your girlfriend . . ."

When the song ended, Hermione turned to Draco and asked, "So, are you going to take her advice and get a new girlfriend?"

"No, I don't think I will. I just got this new one that I really like," Draco said with a smirk.

"Oh, really? And who's she?" Hermione said with a smile.

"This really gorgeous girl wearing a red dress and standing right beside me," he replied as he gave her a quick kiss.

"Don't you think your new girlfriend might get jealous if she sees you kissing me?" Hermione asked playfully.

"Somehow, I don't think she'll mind," Draco smirked as he kissed her again.

When the band returned, Draco asked Hermione to dance, and they joined the many other couples on the dance floor. After a few songs, Draco went to grab them some punch while Hermione went to use the loo. As he was pouring the drinks, Draco heard an unwelcome voice behind him.

"Oh, Draco darling, what spell did she use to make you lose your mind?" Pansy said sadly as she walked up to him.

"Hermione didn't use any spells or potions on me, Pansy," Draco responded without turning around.

"Well, maybe you should have Madam Pomfrey look you over just in case."

"Pansy, I'm NOT insane and I'm NOT under the influence of any potion or spell!!" Draco said, turning to face her.

"Oh, but you must be!" Pansy cried as she flung her arms around Draco's waist. "You couldn't possibly be with her by choice!"

"Pansy, get this through your head. I am with Hermione now, and nothing you can say or do is going to change that!"

But Pansy wasn't about to give up. Taking him by surprise, Pansy lifted her head off of Draco's chest and kissed him. Not responding to the kiss at all, Draco gently pushed Pansy away from him.

"Pansy, stop . . . this isn't going to work."

"And why not? I'm a way better kisser than Granger. I just need to remind you of what you're missing."

Pansy leaned forward for another kiss, but Draco backed away. As she came closer to Draco, she closed her eyes in anticipation of the kiss. However, once Draco hit the dessert table behind him, he slid to the side and out of Pansy's path. Unfortunately, Pansy still had her eyes closed, and when she hit the dessert table, she tripped and went face first into the huge sheet cake, covering herself in vanilla icing.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Hermione returned to the Great Hall, she spotted Draco by the dessert table. Hermione also noticed Pansy making her way toward him. She walked quickly over to the table, but when she arrived, Hermione saw that Pansy was covered in vanilla icing. Looking over to Draco, she tried not to laugh at the sight before her. However, Draco's expression of shock and amusement caused her to lose the little self-restraint she had, and Hermione started laughing uncontrollably along with the rest of the hall.

Furious, Pansy stood and made her way toward Hermione. Draco, realizing what was happening, quickly pulled Hermione out of the way before Pansy could attack her. Unfortunately, by the time Pansy realized Hermione wasn't in her path anymore, she couldn't stop herself and ran straight into the punch table. The punch bowl flew off the table and landed on top of Pansy. Screaming in frustration, she stood and rounded on the new couple.

"FINE! You want to spend your time with this filthy little Mudblood . . . Be my guest!" Pansy yelled.

The whole hall went silent...even the band stopped playing. No one had expected Pansy to go that far. Professor Snape excused himself from his blackjack table and walked over to Pansy.

"Ms. Parkinson that will be 50 points from Slytherin and two weeks worth of detention with Mr. Filch, starting Monday."

"B-b-but, Professor . . ." Pansy pleaded.

"No buts. Now, I believe you've caused enough trouble for the night; return to your dormitory."

Without another word, Pansy left the hall. On her way, however, she made sure to glare at Draco and Hermione with the utmost disdain and disgust. Soon after Pansy's exit, the band started up again and the dance continued. Draco took Hermione's hand and twirled her onto the dance floor.

"Well, I don't think Pansy will be causing us any more trouble," Draco said as he danced with Hermione.

"Not for awhile anyway...especially with all that detention."

"Speaking of detentions . . . You wouldn't have had anything to do with her numerous detentions during the last two weeks, would you?"

"Well, you know what they say . . . Three's a crowd, and I needed some way to spend time alone with you," Hermione answered innocently.

"True, but I think I know a better way to get my attention," Draco said with a mischievous smile.

"Oh, really? And what would that be?" Hermione questioned playfully.

Instead of answering, Draco twirled Hermione around and then pulled her into a romantic dip before kissing her passionately. Moving back to their original position, Hermione laid her head on Draco's shoulder, wishing the dance would never end.

After a few more hours, however, the dance came to a close and the couple headed back to their dorm. Draco and Hermione both changed into their pajamas and went into their joint bathroom to brush their teeth. Afterwards, Draco kissed Hermione goodnight and she went to return to her room, but Draco grabbed her hand to stop her, and she turned around with a curious expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly.

"Will you spend the night with me?"

"Draco, I'm not ready to . . ."

"No, not that . . . Just sleep in my room. I promise I won't try anything," Draco said with a pleading look in his eyes.

Hermione nodded and he led her into his bedroom. They settled themselves into his bed, and Draco pulled Hermione close to him.

"Sweet dreams, Mi," Draco whispered in her ear.

"Mi?"

"Yeah, it's my new nickname for you since you're all mine now," Draco replied quietly.

"Yours, huh? Well, as long as you're all mine too."

"Absolutely! After all, three is a crowd," Draco said, laughing slightly.

Hermione laughed along with him, and soon they both fell asleep in each other's arms. And as they drifted off, their only thoughts were of each other and the wonderful future that lay ahead.

THE END

A/N: Sooo . . . What'd you think? I hope you enjoyed the ending to the story. The lyrics within the chapter are from Avril Lavigne's song, 'Girlfriend.' Please review, it's the only way I know how I'm doing. ~Jen