They reached the Gloc just as the doors opened, there was already a queue so they joined the end and started talking about non-sequential things. It didn't take long for them to reach the door.
"ID" the doorman asked. The three pulled out their drivers licenses and he checked the ages before handing them back and letting them in. As Hermione passed the guard winked at her and she moved closer towards Dray, who looked up and caught the doorman's look, he glared at him and put a protective arm around her waist pulling her closer to him. She didn't complain.
Dray and Hermione headed over to a table with four stools around it as Nate headed over to the bar. Hermione sat down and looked around the club. It was very big and very dark, the only lights were from the scattered fake fire torches on the walls and the strobe light on the dance floor at the other end of the club. Dray sat watching her, she looked familiar, but he couldn't place her face.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, she was a muggle, and the he hadn't met any muggles before the summer. He continued to watch her though, she was very beautiful, even for a muggle.
His musings were interrupted by Nate joining them at the table and placing 3 pint glasses full of dark red liquid. He grinned at Hermione's confused look.
"Snake bite." Nate said happily picking up his pint and downing half of it.
"Er … okay … what is it?"
"Cider blackcurrant and lager." Dray said picking up his pint and drinking some. "It's nice, get's ya pissed quick and is cheap." He drank some more of his then put the pint on the table. Cautiously she picked up her pink and took a gulp. Coughing as it hit her stomach. Shaking her head to clear the fuzziness and then realising that that was a very bad idea she looked up at Nate and glared at him.
"Bastard." She spat, but there was no anger behind the words.
Nate grinned, "Takes a while to get used to. You should have seen Dray when he first tried it, bloke nearly gagged!"
"Nate!" Dray said embarrassed, "She does not need hear of that night!"
Hermione smiled, "Ooh, yes I do! Nate what happened?" Hermione unconsciously picked up her drink again and drank a bit more, she didn't cough this time.
"Well," Nate started, "It was back when he still had blonde hair and the lad still insisted on gelling it back and looking ridiculous, guy had no fashion sense till he met me! Anyway." He took a swig of his drink and looked at Hermione. "We were over at the club closest too us, Night Shade, it was his first time out with me and was another Full Gear night but anyway, we got to the club, I went to get drinks and he sat on a bar stool at a table by the dance floor. I come over with the drinks and hand him one and he thinking it was beer or some weak shit downed almost the whole pint in one go!" Both Hermione and Nate were giggling at this point, Nate because of the memory and Hermione because she felt like it, Dray was pouting, but his mouth was turned up in a slight smile at the memory.
"Keep going, what happened next?" Hermione asked,
"Well when he realised it wasn't beer he started coughing, like you did but more kinda getting ready to throw up without eating kinda coughing." Hermione nodded understanding what he meant. "Then he spun round on his stool to glare at me, only he over spun and flew off the stool, landing on a heap on the floor, with his neatly gelled hair all over the place and he looked so confused about how he ended up on the floor!" Hermione and Nate now gave up trying to contain their laughter, the site of Dray on the floor confused and pouting was hysterical.
Standing up, completely embarrassed, Dray turned to both of them, "Look at you too, like a pair of women, honestly, right I'll get the next round – same again?" both nodded, crying with laughter.
Four rounds and eight more embarrassing stories later, the three were on the dance floor jumping around smashed off their heads and belting out the words to whatever song was playing, which at the moment was 'Miracle Man' by Ozzy Osbourne.
"I'm looking for a miracle man that
tells me no lies,
I'm looking for a miracle man who's not in
disguise.
I don't know where he'll come from I don't know where
he's been,
But it's not our Jimmy Sinner because he's so obscene."
They jumped around a bit while the main singing had stopped, then started shouting to each other again.
"Today I saw a miracle
man,
On T.V. crying, such a hypocritical man,
Born again,
Dying.
He don't know where he's goin' but we
know where he's been,
It was our little Jimmy Sinner on the
screen."
Again they jumped around a lot, bumping into the other people around them. But they didn't care and the people around them didn't seem to care too much either they stopped jumping as the words started again.
"A
devil with a crucifix, brimstone and fire,
He need's another
carnal fix to take him higher and higher."
"Now Jimmy he got busted, with
his pants down,
Repent ye wretched sinners, self righteous clown!"
They continued to sign, if you could call it that, and dance, if you could call jumping dancing, until it was nearing 2 am, when the slow music started playing. Of course being a club that only plays rock and metal the slowest you got was things like 'House of 1000 corpses' by Rob Zombie and 'Mutter' by Rammstein which was what began to play now.
Dray grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her onto the floor, starting the slow dance. The song was in German so Dray began translating in soft whispered tones in her ear.
Die Tränen greiser Kinderschar
"The tears of a crowd of very old children"
Ich zieh sie auf ein weisses Haar
"I string them on a white hair"
Werf in die Luft die nasse Kette und wünsch mir, dass ich eine Mutter hätte
"I throw the wet chain into the air and wish that I had a mother" Keine Sonne die mir scheint keine. Brust hat Milch geweint
"No sun shines for me. There was no breast that cried milk"
In meiner Kehle steckt ein Schlauch. Hab keinen Nabel auf dem Bauch
"There is a tube that sticks in my throat. I have no navel on my stomach" Mutter
"Mother"
They continued to sway to the slow depressing music, Hermione listening with her eyes shut to Dray whisper the words that stuck so close to home now.
The song ended and the two pulled apart, Hermione had begun to cry. Seeing this Dray hugged her.
"Pas l'ange de cri de lumière" he whispered. (Do not cry angel of light.)
She pulled back, "pourquoi vous faire me réconforte?" (Why do you comfort me?)
Dray was startled that she could speak French and stumbled his reply. "Parce que je soigné." ( Because I care.)
"You don't even know me." She mumbled, and over the still going music Dray barely heard her.
"Then let me know you." He smiled at her and wiped away her tears. They smiled at each other and then a voice interrupted them.
"You don't want ter get ter know that wispy little thing, he ain't worth ya time!"
A tall man, with very broad shoulders placed a hand on Hermione's shoulder and pulled her out of Dray's embrace. The blonde glared at him, they were pretty much equal in height.
"The lady is with me." Dray snarled, and had Hermione not been on the verge of a panic attack she would have recognised the tone, but in her current state she completely missed it.
"Don't seem like that now! And why would she wanna be with ya when she can be wit' me instead!" The man said, his words slurring. Clearly he was drunk and was looking for a shag.
Trying to keep his temper in check Dray glared at the man again. It was a Death Glare that in the past had frightened many people into doing what he said no questions asked, obviously it wasn't going to work on an older and very drunk man. Hermione was shaking in fear now, this was too soon and too similar to what had happened at the start of the holidays.
Except then it had been her fathers hand on her shoulder and her mother trying to make him see reason. Her father had beaten her mother into unconsciousness while Hermione sat and watched in fear.
"No" She mumbled to herself "No! No! No! No! No! No! Not again! Not again! No! Never again! No! No! NO!" she pulled herself away from the mans tightening grip and flung herself into Dray's body.
"Not again! No! Please no! Not again! Not again not again not again not again not again."
Dray wrapped his arms around her body and glared at the man again, "I think she decided for us." He said coldly.
The man sneered, and made towards Dray and Hermione. His fist raised to punch him, Nate, appearing out of the shadows suddenly, caught his wrist before he even got close.
"The lady said no." he said coldly, and the rooms temperature dropped a couple of degree's.
"Who are you punk?" the man spat, wrenching his arm free from Nate' s grip.
Nate moved between him and Dray. Walking calmly but the look in his eyes said other wise.
"Me? Oh I'm just the one guy in this club you don't want to anger." His voice was still as cold as ice and Dray shivered, hoping and praying that Nate never turned on him. Ever.
"What are ya gonna do kid? Glare at me?"
By now the dance floor had cleared, as it was obvious an argument had broken out. A glance over his shoulder told Dray that the security guards had been called and were making they're way through the club towards them.
Nate said nothing, just starred coldly at the man. Neither spoke and the music had dimmed, apparently the DJ wanted to here this too.
"Well come on then punk!" the man spat after a bit. Nate just stared him down. The man was doing well against it, Nate would have had most people on the floor begging for mercy by now.
The man moved towards Nate as if to punch him, but he stopped, his fist mere inches away from Nate' s face. The man scowled at the fact the Nate hadn't even flinched. Nate was the taller of the two, and even though the other was broader, Nate still looked the most dangerous.
"What's going on?" a security guard asked.
"That man," Dray said nodding his head in the direction of the man that had attacked Nate, "Tried to force my girlfriend to go with him, when clearly she was with me, my friend stopped him from hitting us."
The security guard nodded and looked over to his partner. "That true?" the other one asked a spectator. Dray recognised him as the one who had winked at Hermione as they had entered, he scowled.
"Pretty much." Dray looked over, the woman that had answered had electric pink hair which was all over the place, though it looked like it had been gelled that way. He nodded his thanks to her and she smiled at him.
The two guards moved over to the drunk man who was now sweating heavily, Nate had yet to move.
"C'mon, out of the club with you! We don't want no trouble makers here!" The first guard took hold of the mans arm and then let go with a yelp, holding his hand to his chest.
The other ran over to him, "What? What happened?"
"I burnt my hand, he's burning!" the guard cradled his burnt hand to his chest.
Everyone in the club was looking confused, the second guard looked from his partner to the man to Nate. "Right mister, we don't want no trouble here so we're gonna have to ask you to leave." Nate blinked and looked at the guard.
"Of course, just make sure he doesn't leave with any one." The guard nodded and Nate turned,
"Let's go guys." He looked confused. The three left the club and began the long walk back to Nate' s muggle house. Dray was still holding onto Hermione.
Songs:
Miracle Man by Ozzy Osbourne.
Mutter by Rammstein
