Disclaimer: I own none of the Harry Potter universe, other than perhaps some original characters and concepts if I feel like putting those in. Everything else belongs to the amazingly talented J.K. Rowling - she's just nice enough to let me use her characters and world in my personal playground.


The lights were neon and blacklit, there were strobes and music was playing loudly over the Wizarding Wireless. There was an area in the middle of the room where students were already dancing, rather unconventionally in Hermione's opinion, and along the walls were chairs, food, and tables placed intermittently. The Head Girl tried to make her way into a corner and away from the mass of people both in front of and behind her, but felt her herself being dragged toward the throng of gyrating students on the dance floor. She looked to the culprit and found only a widely grinning Harry who leaned close to her ear so that she could hear him as he whispered in explanation, "Ginny and Ron went to fetch drinks; it's going to get hot in here tonight. In the meantime, let's dance."

Hermione stared back at her best friend incredulously as he moved them into the middle of everyone and began moving along to the beat. "Harry, I don't dance. You know that." She tried to sidle away from the famous Potter, but was blocked on all sides by a wall of bodies. Even in heels she wasn't tall enough or large enough to successfully make a path for herself, a reason for which she was even more envious of the more curvaceous, model-esque girls like Ginny.

Harry snickered at her attempts to try and get away and grabbed her hand to twirl her underneath his arm, a move to which she reluctantly obliged, "Then, 'Mione, there's no time like the present to try." Hermione felt a light blush creep across her cheeks and a small tickle in her belly at feeling Harry's almost flirtatious whispers on her ear again, but she dismissed it and moved away from him quickly when she saw Ron and Ginny approaching them with drinks for the four in their hands.

The Weasleys passed a drink each to the two seventh year Gryffindors in the middle of the dancers, and Hermione had never felt so relieved. In an attempt to avoid Harry's gaze even further, she took the glass from Ron and began gulping it down as quickly as possible, not noticing the burn until half of it had been consumed already. Sputtering in surprise and doing her best not to spew the liquid all over her friends, who were now laughing heartily at her expense, she turned wide-eyed to the three. "What is this? I was expecting water!"

Ron, who was nearest now, patted her amusedly on the back as he wiped tears out of his eyes and caught his breath before answering carelessly, "'Hermy, darling, you just tried your first Firewhiskey. Congratulations!" At this comment, the three broke out into boisterous laughter once more, but Hermione just stared in shock at her friends before storming out of the crowd of dancers and furiously threw herself into one of the chairs lining the far wall. Angrily, she took another gulp from her cup before realizing what it contained again, after which she set it harshly onto the table nearest her and stared at it as though it had severely wounded her.

"Enjoying the party, Granger?" she heard a cold voice drawl from her left as a long muscular arm was flung over the back of her chair. She turned to see Draco Malfoy leaning surprisingly close to her, but realized instantly he was doing so only to grab some food from the table next to which she sat. Her eyes narrowed nonetheless, as she was in no mood to entertain him that evening.

"Bugger off, Malfoy. Can't you see I'm busy?" she scoffed curtly in his direction, looking down her nose at him before grabbing her glass and taking a swig once more. Hermione resisted the urge to hex herself silly for having made the mistake of doing so again and instead opted to set the glass down before crossing her arms and turning her wrath on the Slytherin who was still next to her. "Didn't I tell you to leave?"

The Head Boy deftly avoided her last question, and instead inspected the glass from which she had just tasted. "Oi, Granger's being brave; drinking Firewhiskey. Lightweights like you should probably stick to Butterbeer, you know?" he stated matter-of-factly with a smirk before leaning back into his own seat, finally having poured himself a glass of punch.

"Of course you would know how a lightweight must behave," she sneered derisively back at him before standing and drinking the rest of her glass and slamming it down on the table defiantly. "I will be seeing you later, Malfoy," she hissed before sashaying off to find Harry again. She suddenly felt the urge to take him up on his offer of trying to dance.

She was leaving so furiously, however, that she didn't hear the low growl that Draco emitted from his throat behind her, impressed with her feistiness, "You will be seeing me indeed, Granger." He threw back his tumbler before jauntily standing and strutting toward the throng of dancers himself.

Hermione was in such a rush on her way to find Harry that she didn't even notice Ron, her boyfriend, grinding with two younger Ravenclaws she'd never met. Ginny, too, had found a suitable dancing partner in the older Hufflepuff Justin Finch-Fletchley. Harry was, thankfully for Hermione, only dancing in a group of classmates, allowing her to steal him for a moment. She stood on her tiptoes, a difficult task in pumps, and tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to whirl around. "'Mione!" he greeted her cheerfully with a bear hug and twirled her around, placing her in the middle of the group with whom he had been dancing previously.

"Well, it's good to see you, too, Harry," she allowed the blush to tint her cheeks this time, although she knew it was not due solely the alcohol she had consumed. Instead, she realized it probably had something to do with the fact that Harry had yet to remove his hands from her waist and was now urging her to sway them to the beat.

Timidly, she allowed him to guide her movements, trying to hide the increasing crimson on her face that would give the Gryffindor drapes a run for their money. "So, I guess you're aware of why I returned, Harry." He merely raised an eyebrow at her, encouraging her to continue speaking. "Well, I thought I'd try to dance. I just might need some more Firewhiskey to help me along, though…" she admitted embarrassedly.

Harry grinned and lifted her chin so that she would look him in the eyes, "That's alright, 'Mione. We all need a little liquid courage sometimes." Under his breath he summoned a couple of tumblers for the two and handed one to her once they had arrived. "Just make sure you eat some biscuits or something before drinking anymore after this, okay?" She nodded sheepishly before taking her glass and downing it at once, returning it to Harry so he could banish it with his own.

She didn't notice his wary glance at something behind her head, but she was aware of his hands returning to her hips and pulling her much closer to him. Harry guided her arms around his own neck and led them in a dance along to the beat of a tune Hermione recognized as a popular Weird Sisters song. She could feel a flush creeping up on her cheeks once more but was surprisingly able to stifle the butterflies in her stomach. "You know, 'Mione," Harry started, leaning down to whisper in her ear again, causing her to curse in her head at the funny feeling it gave her, "now, don't be offended. But, you're better at dancing than I thought you would be."

Hermione felt him pull her nearer to himself once again; now the two were almost flush with each other, making her feel slightly elated, which in turn made her feel a little guilty. I feel so much more comfortable with Harry than I ever have with Ron… Harry's so gentle; Ron is so rough. But there's nothing wrong with that! Best friends should feel comfortable with each other...right? She averted her gaze, suddenly feeling self-conscious; afraid he could hear her thoughts.

Realizing she had been silent for a long period, she finally mumbled into his chest, "Well, I did take dance lessons in primary school, actually, but I was never any good at it. Besides, it took away too much time from my studies." This brought about a hearty chortle from Harry's mouth which caused those around them to turn and stare for a moment, bringing pink to Hermione's cheeks again. Embarrassed, she lightly hit Harry on the chest, only forcing him to chuckle more.

"Oh, 'Mione. You know I only jest," he said, guiding her off the dance floor once the song had ended with a light hand on her lower back, something she definitely took note of. But she soon forgot Harry's warm hand when she caught sight of Ron, a scene which caused her to freeze. Harry stiffened beside her, too; their jaws both dropped at the spectacle before them. Harry quickly urged Hermione in the other direction, but even on the opposite side of the room she couldn't get the picture of Ron with those girls out of her head. All the previous guilt at feeling giddily comfortable with Harry flew away; it was instead replaced by steadily increasing anger and sadness.

Harry carefully put a hand on her shoulder as she sat dejectedly in the far corner of the room, "Hermione…" But she held a hand up to stifle him; he considerately obliged and just tightened his grip on her shoulders. She picked up a biscuit from the table nearby and ate it voraciously before following it with a few others.

"Harry, I'm ready for that third drink now," she finally stated dully, looking up at him through tear-pooled eyes. He nodded understandingly and lifted his wand to cast another Summoning Charm for some more drinks. "Also," she started, causing him to turn his head to her again as her voice was obviously wavering, "I would like if you informed him that it is over." He gulped audibly but nodded and gave her shoulders another squeeze.

"Sure, Hermione," he said, handing her a drink, which she took graciously. "And, 'Mione?" he started, getting her to look at him again, her eyes filling with tears once more. "Promise me you won't let this ruin your night?" Reluctantly, she nodded her head before throwing her arms around her best friend.

"What would I do without you, Harry? You're the best friend I could have," she gave him a tight squeeze around his abdomen; he patted her head and hugged her shoulders in response with a sad smile on his face.

"Thanks, 'Mione. I try, at least. Can I get you anything else right now?" he offered before taking a sip from his tumbler. She merely shook her head but pulled her wand out, stuffing it into his coat pocket. He raised his eyebrow questioningly, but she just looked away in reply. "You want me to hang on to it for you?" She nodded. "Alright, then. Just let me know if you need it. Should I…er… talk to him now?" Hermione, even now not turning to him, nodded again before taking a long swig from her glass. Harry squeezed her hand and then released, trying to ignore the tears still welling in her eyes so he could perform the task at hand.

Numerous biscuits and three cups of punch later, Hermione found herself on the dance floor again, doing all she could to force the image of Ron entangled with two other girls on the couch against the wall out of her head. Every time she blinked though, Lavender's hand was travelling there and Ron's lips were roaming there and Mandy was climbing there.

Shaking her head furiously and blinking back tears, Hermione lifted her arms above her head and swayed her hips along to the beat, trying to enjoy herself. Just as she was picking up the rhythm once again, she felt someone bump roughly into her, almost knocking her over. However, that same person wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her upright and breathed heavily on her neck, "Sorry 'bout that." An action which sent shivers down her spine until she turned on her heel and realized who it was holding her.

"Draco Malfoy!" she shouted in astonishment. His hair was tousled; cheeks flushed, and in his other hand he held a glass filled with Firewhiskey which he was dangerously close to spilling all over her. He had either had too much, or truly was a lightweight as she had implied earlier.

In response to her cry he smirked down at her, "Oi, Granger. Where'd you come from?"

She stared at him in disbelief and tried to wrench herself out of his grasp which almost caused him to slosh the whole of his drink out of its container. She quickly grabbed the hand in which he held the glass, "Let me help you with that."

"Oh, no. This drink is mine!" He pulled his arm abruptly upward, again getting uncomfortably close to spilling its contents.

"I don't want it for myself, Malfoy," she sneered threateningly. "I would just prefer it if you didn't soak my outfit with alcohol this evening. Now stop being so difficult. Either you're going to drink it, or give it to me so I can keep you from giving everyone here a shower!" She yanked his hand back down, careful to put one of her tiny ones over the top of the glass to keep the liquid inside.

"Oh, sod off, Granger. Just let me dance," he growled low in his throat, trying to pull his arm up again but only succeeding in lifting her with it. "Look, you told me to drink it, so I'm going to drink it!"

For some reason, Hermione felt herself bothered by this proposition, "Haven't you had enough, Malfoy?" She pulled his hand close to her mouth and latched on to the rim of the glass with her lips, allowing herself to take a deep chug before he could react. He just stared at her wide-eyed before chuckling.

"Well, you've become quite taken with Firewhiskey, haven't you, Granger?" he said airily, appraising her.

Hermione brushed the back of her hand across her lips to relieve them of the excess moisture there, "Not likely, Malfoy. For some strange reason, I am just looking out for you." She eyed the glass, "But now that the glass is only half-full, my work here is done." She moved to remove his arm from around her waist, where his grip was still unexpectedly strong.

"Aww…where are you going now? Just when I was starting to have some fun with you, too," he leaned in and whispered above her ear, sending familiar shivers down her spine of which they both were aware.

"Look, Malfoy," she pushed vehemently against his forearm, trying to force it off of her. "This has been fun, but I am going to find Harry now. I want to dance."

But the Head Boy was having none of it, "Why go looking for Boy Wonder when I'm right here?" He asked in a sultry tone before taking a sip of his Firewhiskey then offering it to her.

She raised her eyebrow at him skeptically, "And what, pray tell, might you mean by that?" She glanced untrustingly at his glass before moving to take it in her hands.

"Nuh-uh-uh. I'll hold it," he simply stated, holding it close to her face again. Awkwardly, she put her hand over the one in which he held the tumbler and guided it to her lips before tilting it forward so she could take another swig. "And it means exactly what you think it means. I'm telling you to dance with me, of course."

"Right," she took another small sip. "Very funny." After finishing the rest of the drink, she let go of his hand and tried to move away again.

With a wave of his hand, he banished the glass and used his now free hand to hold her more tightly than he was able to with only one. Leaning close to her ear, he whispered heavily, "I wasn't joking, Granger. I saw you dancing before, with Potter. You're not too shabby, but I could teach you a few things he can't."

Eyes wide, and cheeks flushed for multiple reasons, Hermione, hands on his chest, pushed as hard as she could, "Okay. Joke's gone too far; I'm off to find Harry now. I'll see you around, Malfoy." Finally freeing herself, the Head Girl stumbled through the crowd in search of her best friend, hoping fiercely not to run into her painfully recent ex.

Deciding it might be easier to find the Boy Who Lived from the outer edges of the dance floor, Hermione roamed over to a table where she poured herself a portion of Butterbeer, deciding to make a small change. Sipping on the drink serenely, she scanned the crowd for her messy-haired friend.


Author's Note: Getting to the good part now, I hope. More interesting at least, I suspect. I know, I know, it's terribly cliché to have Ron do something so ridiculous like this, but I suppose this story is kind of cliché'd in other ways, too, besides, I personally never found the sense in pairing Ron and Hermione. She fits much better with someone who understands her better, like Harry, or someone of equal intelligence and force such as Draco. Alas! I digress. I do hope that you are enjoying this story and don't find it terribly boring as I fear you may. Either way, however, I'd greatly appreciate it if you were to review with your thoughts! Just, no flames, please, as those are terribly pointless. Thanks for reading; I'll do my best to update quickly, but classes begin tomorrow and I don't want to post too many chapters without having the one I'm writing now finished.