Pansy descended the stairs and to her surprise found Blaize waiting for her in the common room. She raised her eyebrows questioningly and smiled when he took her hand in response.

"You look beautiful Pans…I will have to keep an eye on you tonight." He said in a charming voice. Pansy just smiled and said in a teasing voice.

"Hmm…you look quite dashing yourself but I am afraid I won't be able to protect you."

They both laughed and Blaise threw an arm around her shoulders in a friendly way. They were friends since childhood and even though Blaise was a really good friend of Draco he never really behaved badly with her or even taunted her about her hopeless love for the blond boy. They both made their way towards The Room of The Requirement. On the way they both made small talks. However despite Blaise's reassuring presence, Pansy could not help but feel nervous. The party was in full swing when they entered. Pansy instinctively searched for Draco and Ginny but could not find them. She did not have to wonder twice why they were not present. Forcing these thoughts out of her head, she tried to search for her friends. Tracey Davis had already claimed Blaise for a dance.

Her mood lifted a bit when she saw Hermione coming towards her way with two drinks. Both girls smiled at each other and Pansy gratefully accepted her drink.

"You look really nice today Herms." Pansy said earnestly to the Gryffindor. It was true now at seventeen Hermione was looking really nice with her now smooth brown hair and flawless skin. Hermione beamed at her and returned the compliment.

"So how are you feeling?" Hermione asked cautiously. Pansy kept her face neutral but the pain was still visible in her eyes.

"I am fine. I am slowly accepting…Draco's decision…it is hard but I am trying." Pansy replied in a tired voice.

Hermione was about to answer but Ron came over at their side.

"Excuse us Pansy…but I really need to talk to Hermione right now." he said apologetically. Hermione was about to protest but Pansy interrupted her.

"It is ok...We will talk later." Pansy said with a strained smile. They both went away and left Pansy to her musings. She was about to take a sip from her drink when someone bumped into her. She looked with irritation only to encounter Draco's cold grey eyes. She dragged her eyes from him and looked at the girl besides him. Ginny Weasley nodded curtly at her. They both looked dishevelled and Pansy's doubts were confirmed. She tried not to blush when Draco addressed her.

"Pansy…fancy meeting you here. You look quite nice today." He drawled and glanced lazily at her stiff form. Pansy just stared ahead not trusting herself to look into his eyes. She noted painfully that he had his arm wrapped around Ginny's waist.

"Are you dumb or what?" he asked with a bored voice. Pansy glared at him and said in an icy voice.

"Not really. I was not really paying attention to you…no excuse me." With that she turned around and went in the opposite direction. She did not miss the way he narrowed his eyes at her answer and for a brief moment Pansy felt a brief satisfaction for having angered him. The evening seemed endless.