I. Alcohol

"Come on, Lavender, I think you've had a little too much to drink tonight…" Hermione spoke softly to her dorm-mate, who was firmly latched on to her side, an arm slung across Hermione's shoulders for support. Someone had managed to sneak bottles of firewhiskey into the school for the party in Gryffindor that night. Hermione personally suspected the Weasley twins, but there wasn't much she could do about it without more proof than her suspicions. The presence of the alcohol resulted in a more raucous and loud party than usual, which Hermione didn't especially appreciate. Harry and Ron were usually fine when it came to noise, but Harry and Ron drunk was an entirely different matter. She could hear them loudly singing some quidditch fight song as she ascended the stairs to the dormitory she shared with Parvati and Lavender.

"I'm not…I'm perfectly fine!" Lavender attempted to reason with Hermione, which made her snort slightly. The girl was slurring her words and could hardly walk. On top of that, Hermione watched her consume an entire bottle of firewhiskey in an impossibly short time. She was pretty certain that the girl was wasted beyond belief. With her free hand, Hermione opened the door to their dormitory, shutting it behind them as they entered. She took a stumbling Lavender over to her bed, forcing the girl to lie down. Although she protested, once she was horizontal on top of the covers, she instantly curled up and shut her eyes, making a content noise. Hermione was kind enough to remove the girl's shoes and socks for her, laying them next to her bed. She was almost certain Lavender had already fallen asleep, so she began heading back for the door.

With an accuracy Hermione didn't realize she was capable of in this state, Lavender reached out and grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving. Her hand seemed impossibly warm on Hermione's palm, clutching at it with soft fingers. She pulled Hermione until she was sitting on the bed next to her. Lavender's gaze seemed intently fixed on Hermione's, making her cheeks unexpectedly flush pink.

"Hermione, you're very pretty…" Lavender managed to only slur her words a little bit, as she spoke to her with their eyes connected. "I've always thought so…I just wanted…wanted you to know…" She began drifting off to sleep in the middle of her sentence, and seemed truly asleep right after she finished it. Hermione gently worked her hand out of Lavender's, standing off the bed and walking towards the door. This time, Lavender didn't stop her.

Softly, Hermione shut the door behind her as she exited, pausing at the top of the staircase where she knew no one could see her. She pressed cold hands to her flushed cheeks, smiling at Lavender's words, before she continued down the stone steps and back into the noise.