Hermione was so confused by Ron's behavior as of late. She knew that it had to do with his inexperience with women, as Ginny had told him that Harry and she had experience kissing, but he treated her so coldly. Harry hadn't noticed a thing. Ron treated him the same as always, albeit he was a bit more disheartened than usual and playing Quidditch poorly. Why was he so callous toward her though?
She went into the Great Hall and sat with her friends. She engaged in conversation with them, assuring Ron that he would do just fine and that he wasn't going to throw up while she continued to think on Ron's behavior. Her attention was drawn when she heard Luna mention Harry slipping something into Ron's drink.
"What?" she said aloud to Luna.
"Well I was wondering why Harry would slip something into Ron's drink," Luna stated.
The three of them noticed Harry poorly try to conceal a small vial that Hermione immediately recognized from Potions class.
"Liquid Luck," she said. "But, Harry, that's cheating!" Harry gave her a look like he didn't know what she was talking about. She noticed Ron's mouth slowly widen into a mischievous grin. "Ronald, don't drink that!"
Ron attempted to give her a similar look to the one that Harry wore but failed due to his excitement. He gulped down his pumpkin juice and walked out of the hall to get ready for his Quidditch match.
Draco peered at the Gryffindor table whilst his friends chatted. He had gotten good at multi-tasking – listening to his friends and watching Hermione. He had been doing so for nearly six years now and couldn't let his interest in the muggle-born be too transparent. He was a Slytherin, after all, and their founder had expressed his interest in keeping the school limited to purebloods. Not every Slytherin thought this way, but self-preservation was another prevalent trait amongst them and no one wanted to voice an unpopular opinion.
Draco noticed Weasley leaving the table while Hermione sat there, fuming. He wondered what Weasley had done this time to anger Hermione. It seemed like she was always scolding him or Potter. He didn't know why she continued to be friends with them when they always angered her so. He didn't like them at all, but saw why she did. They had saved her from a troll, after all. She had no friends before that. Everyone thought she was an insufferable know-it-all. He liked smart women, though. Pansy was smart, but she dumbed herself down in public, whereas Hermione would not shrink for anyone. He admired that but was also intimidated.
"So are we partying tonight?" Crabbe asked the group.
"Well, there will be a couple parties tonight. Do we feel like being with Slytherins or having an inter-house party?" Goyle inquired.
Draco thought for a moment. "I think multiple houses would be okay. I'm kind of sick of the dungeons. The Ravenclaws always throw a good party when there aren't any exams."
"The Ravenclaws are partying with the Gryffindors tonight, though. That is, after Gryffindor gets over their defeat." Pansy added.
Draco was well aware of this. "With Weasel on that team, their loss should be so bad that they won't show up for a while. Besides, we all get along pretty well with the Ravenclaws and they excel at everything, including parties. Now let's hurry up and decide on what we're doing so that we can stop saying 'party' because it doesn't seem like a real word anymore." The other Slytherins nodded their assent. Draco knew how to work them.