JKR, you are my hero. Thank you for letting me play around with your characters every so often.

I'll be leaving for camp in two days, so my James/Lily fic won't be updated until the week after next, for anyone who cares. Thought I'd take this little plot bunny and run, just so there's something amusing in the time I'm gone. Cheers!

Oh, I've just escaped- I mean, I've just left Cormac…under the mistletoe.

Oh sweet Merlin. What have I gotten myself into?

A few days previously…

The nerve of him. How can he just go around the whole bloody castle snogging that poptart? It's downright rude of him. He knows I fancy him. He has to…doesn't he? It's not as if there was ever anyone else for me…that's it! I'll ask someone else to Slughorn's party! That should put a damper on Ronald's Christmas. But who to ask? Hmmm. Someone that would annoy him. Well there are plenty of people to pick from if I go in that direction. But which one will annoy him the most? I could ask Michael Corner, that bloke Ginny went out with. He and Terry Boot are always in the library, I knew the both of them pretty well. Oh but they might get the wrong idea. So someone that I'm not casual acquaintances with then. That Zacharias Smith bloke! He annoyed Ron well enough. But he was such a prat. Do I really want to deal with him for more than a couple hours? Besides, he annoyed Harry as well. And I'm sure Ginny isn't too fond of him either. So not him. Good, I was not looking forward to that. Now, think Hermione. This is what you're best at. Finding the solution to a difficult problem. Okay, so I want to take someone who will annoy Ron, but not someone that will annoy me or Harry. Someone that I'm not friends with in the first place, so that it doesn't become awkward if they think I fancy them. Okay then, someone who only challenged Ron, and not me or Harry. What has Ron done…? Keeper tryouts! Of course! Who was that who went against him? Oh, that's right, that seventh year, Cormac something. McLaggen. Cormac Mclaggen. He was attractive enough. And since he went out for Ron's position, he's sure to bother him! It's settled then. I'll be asking Cormac McLaggen to Slughorn's Christmas party.

Two hours later

Hermione thought about the implications of what she was doing as she walked up to the Gryffindor Tower. She thought about how it went against everything she believed in. Then she saw Ron and Lavender snogging on her former favorite window seat, right in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, and decided to leave her integrity in the dust for the next few days. She walked up to the portrait and grimaced as she said the password; she and Ron had set it the beginning of that month. The Fat Lady gave her a look that simultaneously portrayed disgust at the sight before her, and sympathy for the girl that had to watch. See, even the Fat Lady knew I fancied him. Figures. She thought glumly. As she walked into the empty common room, she became nervous. Most everyone was enjoying the frosty grounds, so she had nothing to worry about. No one would see her. She walked up the stairs to the sixth year boys' dorm. She stood outside the door and took a deep breath for what she was about to do. Homenum Revelio! She cast the spell in her head, just in case. No one was there. She stepped into the dorm, and went straight to Harry's trunk, looking for the Map. She needed to see where Cormac was so she could casually bump into him, flirt, and ask him. She took a look at the map. Oh, she thought, surprised, he's in the library. Perfect. I'll have every excuse to run into him there. And off she went, after putting the map back and conjuring a large spider on the hangings of Ron's bed.

She wandered down to the library full of purpose. The library was her domain, she could be relatively confident down there. This was the first time she was asking someone out, though. Though she kept it a secret (and rather well, she thought) from Harry and Ron, she had been asked out by other guys before. It wasn't a big deal, she said no to all of them but Viktor. And she had only said yes to him because he was the first one. So she knew she wasn't unattractive, but she also knew that many people did not ask her because they just assumed that she fancied Harry or Ron. Of course, if they thought it was Ron, they would be correct. Beside the point, she was nervous. She arrived at the library door, and took a collective breath for the second time that day. She didn't even take this many deep breaths on any of her adventures with Harry and Ron. How could a Christmas party make her so nervous comparatively? She walked in and spotted him immediately. He is quite good looking, she thought thoughtfully, and smart too, I suppose if he's here in the library on a Sunday. I shouldn't approach him straight away. That would look slightly weird. She walked over to the charms section of the library and grabbed a random book. She sat down at the other side of Cormac's table, on the same side though. The same move Viktor had used so many years ago, and began reading intently, glancing sideways every few minutes. After about ten minutes of this, she saw that Cormac was actually beginning to glance at her out of the corner of his eye. How strange. This might be far easier than I made it out to be in my head. The next time she saw him looking she sent him a shy smile. He smirked back, as if he giving her his attention was most gracious of him. Oh bugger. He's one of those. Still, this wasn't so bad. It was wrong to assume that Cormac was stuck up simply because he had smirked at her. He got up and went to the quidditch section of the library and returned his book. She sneakily watched him over the top of her book as he walked next to the Transfiguration section, picked up a book without any indication that he had searched at all, and sat back down so that there was only one seat left in between them, thought there had been two when she had picked the table. Two can play that game. She also got up, returned her book and picked out a book from the potions section. She then sat down right next to him and smiled. He turned to her and held out his hand.

"Cormac McLaggen," he said, whispering.

"Hermione-" she was interrupted.

"You must be Hermione Granger, Gryffindor right? I'm in Gryffindor, seventh year," Cormac said in a louder voice, grinning.

"Yes, that's me," she replied, slightly put off that he had already interrupted, and Merlin all she had done was try to say her name! They made unnervingly polite small talk, in which Cormac interrupted and corrected multiple times, when she finally said,

"Want to go around to Slughorn's party with me? It should be a laugh," she finally got a whole sentence in edgewise.

"Sure thing, though you know you didn't have to ask. I was invited myself. Could've asked you if you'd stopped talking long enough," he said.

Oh Merlin, what have I gotten myself into? She thought apprehensively.

About an hour before the party

She went to go meet McLaggen in the common room. Good. Ron will be there wrapped around Lavender. He can see that I've got someone else too. She thought viciously. Then she spotted McLaggen, and groaned internally.

"Hello, Hermione, you're looking quite nice tonight," he said, looking her up and down in a way that made her fell just a little bit uncomfortable.

"Thanks, Mc- Cormac, shall we go now?" she hurried to cover almost calling him by his surname to his face. They walked down to Slughorn's office, and she was treated to hearing Cormac McLaggen's Hundred Great Saves. She had to bite her tongue from asking why he didn't make Keeper if he was so amazing. She would have said it, too, if she didn't know exactly why he hadn't made it. The only good thing to say about his speech was that it meant she didn't have to come up with anything to say to him. Because quite frankly, right now I don't want to say anything to him but 'shut up,' she thought wearily. Only halfway to his office, and she was already tiring of hearing his voice.

"-and then there were four quaffles…" she blocked out the rest. She honestly wasn't paying attention until he said, "We just about missed the turn. Had a little to drink tonight have we?" he winked at her and she scowled. She did not drink unless it was butterbeer, and that was very, very light. They walked in, and she was instantly surprised at the sheer size of the office. Enlargement charm, that has to be it. McLaggen was also looking around, impressed as well.

"Wow, Slughorn sure knows how to pick an office," he commented. She rolled her eyes at his ignorance. No need to be nice now. Ron wasn't around. They walked around for a bit, looking for friends or looking around at the interesting people that Slughorn had invited. McLaggen stopped short in front of the fireplace and Hermione did a double take. She gave a little yelp as he tugged on her elbow and pointed upwards, and the little sprig of mistletoe floating over their heads. He gave her a boasting smile and closed his eyes, waiting. That was when she decided it was time to find Harry and Luna. She ran, not looking where she was going. Thankfully, she heard Harry's voice calling her.

"Hermione, Hermione!" she swiveled around and saw him, then ran over.

"Harry! There you are, thank goodness! Hi, Luna!" she said rather more enthusiastically than normal. Harry looked at her concernedly. Oh bugger. I forgot to tell him who it was that I brought. Ah, well.

"What's happened to you?" he asked her, looking confused. She sighed quietly.

"Oh, I've just escaped- I mean, I've just left Cormac," she paused, "Under the mistletoe," she added, as Harry still looked slightly confused.

"Serves you right for coming with him," he said, harshly.

Oh Harry, you have no idea how much I agree with you there. Not about to tell you that, though.

She had a long night ahead of her.

Certainly hope I haven't gone too OOC here. What do you think? Review much appreciated!