Hermione saw Fleur out on the dancefloor, spiraling to the music. A heathen, a demon, she was lost to the world. Hermione was also lost to the world, caught in Fleur's instead. Fleur's slender, pale arms, snaking in the strobe lights, and her lithe silhouette arching amongst the crowds, whispered to Hermione to rise up and come. Come to the older girl, dance with her, embrace her, kiss her, and also be devoured by her. Most of all were Fleur's eyes, every so often visible in the flashes of light ... a hypnotic beacon in the darkness. Hermione shuddered, struggling to resist the call. She had accompanied Fleur as her friend, and to do more at this point was not only terrifying for the confused girl but also a breach of trust. She wasn't going to screw up this friendship by revealing how much she craved the other girl.

So Hermione ripped her gaze from the other girl to stare pointedly at a group of girls who looked attractive enough to distract. Then she smacked herself mentally for looking at girls in Fleur's presence and instead finally found a nice, safe patch of empty floor space to analyze. Then Ginny's upside-down face came into view, the girl having doubled over to catch Hermione's attention and Hermione simply closed her eyes for the strain of staring at a floor.

"God..." Hermione mumbled, also half-startled. Ginny laughed.

"What's so interesting down here?" Ginny teased. "I wanna know, because there are plenty of other very interesting things that were beat out by whatever you're looking at." Ginny pointedly gestured at various hot people in their vicinity. She then gazed down at the floor and eventually nudged it with her toe. "I suppose," Ginny mused, "the fact that it's sticky with beer is kind of neat, and, ooh, someone's phone number..." Ginny pointed to a little piece of paper with hearts and numbers all over it. Hermione rolled her eyes, momentarily, finally, distracted from Fleur, and grateful to Ginny for it.

"If you're really so curious about this," Hermione replied slyly, "Maybe I'll let you in on it in exchange for a butterbeer..." Ginny caught on, as best friends inevitably do. She grinned at Hermione.

"Sounds like a bargain to me, m'dear." Ginny extended a hand to Hermione, who joined the game, and accepted the offer in a similarly flamboyant way. Momentarily at peace, Hermione bounced off with her friend.