Ch. 32

Hermione grew anxious as the ball grew closer. She was worried about finding the perfect dress for her costume, but she was more worried about the fact that her and Draco still hadn't decided what they wanted to go dressed up as. They eventually nixed the Phantom of the Opera, since Hermione couldn't decide which dress from the musical to go with, and she was at a loss. It was Wednesday afternoon, and after their final class she pulled Ginny away from the crowd.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked, sending her friend's nervousness.

"I just need some girl time away from the two boys," Hermione said simply as she pulled her friend towards the Astronomy tower.

Ginny laughed. "I have been thinking the same thing. I can't remember the last time it was just the two of us, without them."

"Exactly. I love Draco and everything, but I just need to get away from him for a little bit," The brunette sighed. "Plus, I need your help with something."

"Uh oh," Ginny replied.

"No don't worry, nothing bad," Hermione said reassuringly.

They walked up the Grand Staircase, ascending further while other students would trail off to their other classes or pass by them to leave for their dorms. They finally entered the tower through the large doors and made their way over to the railing, sitting down next to each other and dangling their feet over the edge.

"So what do you need help with?" Ginny asked, leaning her forearms against the railing in front of her.

Hermione sighed. "I cannot for the life of me decide what costume to go with for the ball."

"Oh Merlin, is that all?" Ginny laughed with relief and relaxed. "I was worried that you were going to tell me something happened and that I needed to hex someone!"

The two girls laughed and Hermione shook her head. "I'm sorry to disappoint; we'll save that for another time."

"So tell me which ones you are trying to decide between," Ginny said as she nudged her friend.

Draco paced worriedly in the Head Dorm. Hermione hadn't come back from classes and he couldn't feel her presence. It had been almost thirty minutes since her last class was over. Ginny hadn't shown up either, and normally on Wednesdays they would come back from their shared class together.

Blaise suddenly burst through his dorm's portrait, looking around wildly. "Has Ginny come back yet?"

Draco shook his head and knew that Blaise was worrying just as much as he was. "I haven't heard anything from Hermione. Do you think...?"

He took a deep breath after Blaise tilted his head slightly and whined. "I desperately hope not. Maybe we need to go look for them."

"I think it's more of a 'we should'." Draco grabbed his wand as Blaise summoned his own, and they stepped out of the portrait.

They stood there for a few moments as they looked around, trying to catch a whiff of their mates' scents before walking quickly down the corridor towards the staircase. Both boys were trying to hold themselves back, knowing that if their mates were in trouble then they would need their strength to save the girls.

Draco couldn't help but feel ridiculous at how much he knew his Veela was overreacting. He knew in the back of his mind that both girls were capable of defending themselves, but at the same time it was his job to make sure that his mate was safe. Pansy's threat entered his mind and he growled. If Pansy had anything to do with this....

The two Veelas drew some attention to themselves by practically racing through the corridors, weaving in and out of students with ease. Draco noticed his senses had sharpened with his worry for his mate, and he knew Blaise must have been experiencing the same changes. He was able to pick up conversations from the students he was passing by, and he was hoping for any hint of Hermione's location from anyone that could have seen her.

Blaise, on the other hand, was focused on what was happening in front of him. He caught whiffs of Ginny here and there, but they were faint, at least a few days old. His sense of smell seemed to be the strongest of his senses, other than his hearing. His mind was in overdrive as they raced down the stairs. What if it was his mother? What if she did something to his mate? His beautiful, wonderful mate.

They made it down the stairs to the ground floor, pausing at the base of the stairs. Draco groaned and his head darted around in a desperate search. Blaise took off without warning and the blond followed close behind, realizing that Blaise was leading them towards the courtyard.

They ran out into the open yard, drawing stares from all of the students around them. They ignored the stares though and looked around.

"She's near," Blaise muttered. "I keep catching her scent."

"The Ministry should hire you as a bloodhound," Draco said, looking around everywhere for his own mate.

Blaise ignored him and continued to look around. They slowly walked around and finally sat down on one of the railings that surrounded the open area. Draco looked over at Blaise and noticed that his friend's eyes were in the beginning stages of turning black. He knew that if they didn't find the girls soon, there would be two very unhappy Veelas tearing Hogwarts apart.

Draco closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. He then caught a small breeze that carried his mate's familiar perfume, and he looked around immediately. There was no sight of her though, and he groaned.

"Draco," Blaise started quietly. "I hear them talking. It's very faint, but I hear them."

"Them?" Draco looked over at his friend. "The girls are together?"

Blaise nodded, staring ahead at nothing in particular while he listened intently. Draco breathed a sigh and looked up at the sky in relief. And that's when he saw two pairs of legs rocking back and forth slightly from the Astronomy tower.

"I think I found them!" Draco exclaimed, nudging Blaise and pointing up towards the tower.

Blaise followed his friend's gesture and very visibly relaxed, his eyes returning to their normal shade of brown. Draco found himself smiling as he looked up, watching his mate as he tried to tune in to their conversation.

"Okay, so you're sure you don't want to try for the Phantom of the Opera idea?" Ginny asked.

Hermione nodded and sighed. "There were just too many versions of the characters, and I think it would've been too vague for anyone to recognize. Except for him; people would have definitely recognized him as the Phantom."

"Well, I'd offer the Princess Bride idea, but Blaise is very set on being the Dread Pirate Roberts," Ginny replied. "Not that I mind; he'll be so dashing."

Hermione shook her head at her friend and smiled. "Maybe I can convince him to do the Little Mermaid. I always liked her dress at the end of the movie."

"I think I know which one you're talking about," Ginny said. "The sparkly one, right?"

"Yeah." Hermione smiled to herself. Then she laughed as she remembered Ginny's reaction to the movie. "Remind me that we need to watch that again over the Christmas break."