"Oh come now, Granger," He jeered. He sat down on the steps beside her, deciding he'd taunt her. "Where's the fun in that? I haven't called you Mudblood all night, the least you could do is humor me."Granger finally lifted her head to look at him, her eyes glinting with annoyance and irritation."You really don't get it, do you, Malfoy?" She spat at him. "I am not here for amusement, and I'm certainly not here for you! For once in your sad and pathetic life, can you get it through your thick skull that I want to be left the hell alone!"Draco did a double take. The ferocity in her voice almost made him take a step back. Aside from being fairly shocked by her immediate anger, did Granger—proper, polite, goody-two-shoes Granger—just swear?"You know all I wanted was to be seen as someone special for one night!" she cried at him. "Someone who mattered just for one moment. To be seen as someone other than the bookish, bossy, know-it-all that everyone seems to categorize me as!"This was so absurd that Draco almost laughed out loud, but he knew that that action would surely leave him severely injured.He had always thought that all she cared about was maintaining good grades and excelling in academics. Who would have known that Granger with her bookish demeanor actually cared about something that he thought she had always considered as utter nonsense? He never thought that being branded as the know-it-all she is would bother her so much."You know, I can't even begin to describe what coming down those steps and walking into the Great Hall was like," she continued, her eyes almost taking a wistful expression. "It felt like a dream. It was like Cinderella. It was like living in my own fairytale. Silly I know, but at that moment I didn't care what anybody else thought. I never felt more happy than I did walking through those doors."Draco raised an eyebrow. Exactly, why was she telling him all this? And what the hell is Cinderella? He also wondered if she was even vaguely aware that he was still actually there listening to her ramble on. Did she realize that she sounded like some love struck silly little girl?"I guess that deep down I've always wondered what it felt like to know that I could make so many heads turn, to have people looking at me in admiration, catching someone's attention without having to utter a single word. To feel good and satisfied about myself. No longer insecure, no longer having to keep up this façade of a cold exterior, having to hide behind my books, my intellect, my..."What the hell was this stupid bint on about?Draco didn't know what to say, not that he could get a word in with her ranting on like that. Nor did he want to hear about her problems...damn, he really should have just walked past her without a second thought. What was he thinking going over to her?Clearly, she's completely lost it.Granger trailed off.Draco looked at her; still slightly unnerved by the way she was acting. She seemed sort of dazed and he was starting to feel a bit apprehensive."Okay, Granger, I think you might have had a little too much—"He stopped abruptly. If Draco had thought Granger was angry with Weasley before, that could not even describe the look on her face now.Granger's brows knitted together and her eyes flashed with rage. She looked rather scary and it took all of Draco's willpower not to back away."I mean, is it too much to ask!" She spat viciously. She started shaking uncontrollably. "One night! Just one night, for everything to be perfect! I must have been such an idiot to think that this fairytale would last!"She started flailing her arms wildly and her eyes were once again shedding uncontrollable tears. The way she was crying with complete abandon gave Draco the impression that she had been holding it in for a really long time. How long exactly, he couldn't tell. He really didn't know what to do.It was not as if he could reassure her or comfort her. Not only was he not used to it but this was Granger. If this world still made sense, him, the pureblood, would never stoop so low as to offer his condolences to a Muggle born. If this world still made any sense, Granger wouldn't have shown that something like this extremely bothered her. Especially in front of him. She had always stood her ground, always appearing so strong on the outside. However, it was the second time tonight that this girl had flipped Draco's world the wrong side up."BUT DID THEY HAVE TO RUIN IT FOR ME!" She cried hysterically, tears streaming down her face. "TO SPOIL THE ONE NIGHT I STOOD A CHANCE TO SHOW EVERYONE HOW WRONG THEY WERE ABOUT ME! WHAT WAS I THINKING? I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN HOW TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN MY DREAMS AND THE HARSH REALITY! I ALWAYS WAS THE SENSIBLE ONE, THE LOGICAL ONE, AND FOR ONCE I FELT INCREDIBLY TIRED OF IT!"Granger began to tremble. She basically started screaming out all her frustration and anger, not caring who heard her, not caring who saw her, not caring that her worst enemy was the one that was listening and watching her lose complete control of herself."BUT I WAS SO STUPID TO THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE ONE BOY FELT THAT I WAS SOMEONE WORTH ASKING TO THE BALL, IT ALSO MEANT THAT TWO OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN MY LIFE WOULD SEE IT THE SAME WAY! IT'S RIDICULOUS THAT I EVEN CONSIDERED THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE! I WOULD NEVER BE SEEN AS ANYTHING ELSE IN THEIR EYES! I WAS JUST A LAST RESORT TO THEM, NOTHING MORE!JUST SOME BACK UP PLAN, IN CASE EVERY OTHER FEMALE IN THE CASTLE WAS TAKEN!"And once again, for the second time that night as well, Draco had played witness to her break down.However he felt something else he was not accustomed to feeling: He was completely and utterly stunned speechless.She clutched her legs closer to her chest and buried her face in her knees not caring if she stained her gown. Her shoulders were shaking violently as well, and to Draco, he had never seen a more depressing image. Of course, there were times he had done that too, frequently in fact, during his childhood. But it wasn't the same.Apparently, Granger had expected this night to be special. Some fairytale dream come true, as she had said. Draco never really believed in fairytales. To him, they were just stories to enchant the young and naïve. But obviously, they meant something to her...something much more. It was then, for some reason unknown to him, he had a sudden urge to hex both Weasley and Potter into oblivion.Draco took a deep breath. "Granger, I—I don't know what to say..."Suddenly, Granger's head shot up, her eyes shooting glares at him. It seemed to Draco that it didn't take long for her to switch gears once again. Clearly, her anger had recharged and was now directed at him."Is there really anything to say, Malfoy?" She practically snarled at him. "In fact, I don't give a damn on anything you have to say! As if my night has not been ruined enough by those two, you have to join in!"Draco stared at her, taken aback by her sudden change in disposition. Here he was, being remotely civil to her for some bizarre reason, and she still had the audacity and gall to yell at him."Now, hang on one minute! I—"However, Granger didn't let another word in."Does anything ever surprise you or catch you off guard?" She demanded heatedly. "Do you feel any remorse whatsoever on anything you ever do? Why do you have to sit there and enjoy my misery? Does this give you some sick sort of pleasure? Why can't you just leave me be!"What the hell is she talking about? Draco thought angrily.When did everything suddenly become his fault? Why the hell should he feel any remorse, he had nothing to do with it! And he wasn't banking on her rambling on and on about her miserable existence, either. He wasn't involved in any way in her so-called "magical night" nor was he involved in destroying it.Was she just blaming him for no apparent reason?Draco glared at her indignantly. "Look, Granger, I don't care about you or any of your stupid female emotional problems! Nor do I intend to ever join in with Potter and Weasley to wreck your sad little life! Nor do I want to hear all your pent up woes and sorrows! If you don't give a damn about anything I have to say what the bloody hell makes you think I give a damn about you?"Granger wasn't the slightest bit fazed."Well, that's just it, Malfoy! You don't care! YOU DON'T BLOODY CARE!" She screamed loudly, not caring if she woke up the whole castle. "The world may stop spinning, the sun may stop burning, but you would go on with life because you don't give a damn about one bloody thing! Nothing rattles you, nothing baffles you, YOU DON'T CRACK!"Her piercing voice reverberated around cold stone walls bordering the hall."You stand there in your calm and cool composure, thinking that no one can see through you! Tell me, does anything faze you, does anything mystify you, does anything at all make you lose control? Like I just did right here! It was me! I was the one who lost it! Completely and utterly LOST IT! Because I care too much! Just too bloody much!" She yelled at him.Draco could only stare at her."I don't even know why this mattered so much to me. Why was I so intent on looking beautiful, feeling happy, only to have them destroy tonight for me? I should have said no when Viktor asked me! It would have made things so much easier because that's what most people expected to happen! Am I right? I could feel everyone's eyes on me as I walked through those doors and whispering to each other saying "And here I thought she was crying all alone in her room!', "How the hell did Hermione Granger get a date to the ball?', "Did she threaten to hex Krum if he said no?'. And you stood there, just like the rest of them, unfeeling and uncaring. No emotion of awe, never stunned, never amazed, and never---"Draco had reached the brink of his temper.His eyes flashed with anger and he lashed out, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her roughly."WILL YOU SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO YOURSELF FOR ONE MOMENT!" He shouted angrily at her, cutting her off. "You stupid girl! Do you knowhow unbelievably wrong you are about everything! Everyone saw you, everyone looked at you, and no one could take their eyes off you! You call me unfeeling, uncaring, and you are so used to being right all the time, aren't you, Granger? Well, you've never been more wrong than you have been tonight!'Granger appeared to be in total shock, but Draco didn't stop there."I have never been so in awe until you came around that pillar, I have never been so stunned until I saw you walk down those steps, and I have never been so amazed until you strode into the Great Hall looking like the most beautiful thing I have ever seen! And if you want to know whether anything rattles or baffles me, if you want to know if anything fazes me, shocks me, makes me lose control... dammit Granger, if itweren't for tonight, I wouldn't have a single clue how to answer that!"Granger's eyes were wide, staring at him speechless, looking as if she had been petrified. Draco, after recovering, seemed to be in a much more worse state than her. He had an extremely horrified expression on his face, staring right back at her dumbly, as if he couldn't believe what he had just said.Which, as a matter of fact, he couldn't.Draco realized his hands were still gripping her shoulders tightly, and he finally managed to release her.