Chapter 4

Hermione slowly started walking towards the main entrance Saturday morning. She knew that Pansy Parkinson would be waiting for her and part of her was dreading meeting up with her. She had to be ridiculous for considering hanging out with Pansy. Once she remembered the rumors that were going around, Hermione summoned her Gryffindor courage and picked up her pace. After about ten minutes, she could finally spot Pansy waiting for her. Pansy had decided to curl her hair that day and was wearing a very nice Burberry coat. Hermione suddenly felt very childish in her pullover sweater.

"So Hermione Granger actually showed up," Pansy smiled at her.

Hermione sighed, "Let's just get this over with."

"Oh cheer up, it's not going to be as bad as you think it will be," she replied as she took Hermione's arm and started leading her to their caretaker.

Once they passed him, Hermione looked at the crowd headed to Hogsmeade today. People started to give her strange looks and whispered to each other when they noticed she was clearly going to Hogsmeade with Pansy Parkinson. When Pansy led her to Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy, she could see even more disbelief. Why would the Slytherins talk to a muggleborn? It always seemed to boil down to those blood issues and now it reminded Hermione that she had no idea to which group she belonged.

"Hello Granger, Pansy. Where are you off to on this fine Saturday morning?" Blaise Zabini asked them completely taking Hermione's presence in stride.

"We are going to have a girl's day," Pansy stated.

"Well, we're definitely not going with them," Malfoy muttered to Blaise.

"Just don't be late for the party!" Blaise warned her jokingly.

Pansy laughed, "Why would I be late to a party that I organized? Obviously I'll want to enjoy throwing yet another successful party."

"You're always late," Malfoy rolled his eyes.

"It's important to make an entrance and you never show up when the party actually starts. Anyways, I'm the life of the party. It doesn't matter," she explained, "We're off shopping! Enjoy the day boys."

Pansy once again resumed taking Hermione's arm and brought her into a section of Hogsmeade that she had never visited before. This was where most of the girls went, but Harry and Ron adamantly avoided this section like it was the plague. It was filled with clothing stores and anything else a girl could dream of.

"So before you start, how much money do you have?" Pansy asked her seriously.

"I have a lot," Hermione admitted, "why?"

"This isn't going to be a cheap trip," she warned.

"I never spend my money, so I'm positive I can afford it," Hermione answered.

"Alright, we'll start with my gift to you," Pansy said as they walked into a store.

"Why are you giving me a gift?" she asked confused.

Pansy laughed, "This is going to sound mean, but your hair has driven me nuts. It is easy to fix, but yet it's the bushiest and most untameable hair I've seen. For my sanity, we're going to fix it."

"Hey! I've tried to fix it in the past," Hermione said offended.

"You forget we're in the Wizarding World. It's relatively simple to fix, now let's go find Marc!" Pansy exclaimed.

"You must be Hermione Granger," a man asked her as they entered a hair salon, "I've heard all about your hair. I'm honored to be the one that finally tames your hair!"

"Marc, be careful you don't want to upset her," Pansy warned him.

"Let's just get this over with," Hermione sighed as she sat in the offered chair.

Pansy and Marc kept chatting away and Hermione was thankful for a moment to herself. She just needed to breathe a little bit. Since when did looking good ever matter to her? But deep down, she knew she needed a change. So she was ready to have her hair tugged at a lot if it meant that it was easier to manage.

Two and a half hours later, Hermione Granger felt like a new woman. It was crazy what the Wizarding World offered. Not only did Marc successfully tame her hair so now it fell into nice waves, but he had also grown it so that it fell just below her breasts. She understood why girls like Ginny had never done this to her hair, because it was expensive. Hermione felt a little off that Pansy was paying for it, but Pansy had refused Hermione's offer to pay for it.

"Now it's time to get you some new clothes!" Pansy happily exclaimed.

"I don't think I want to change my wardrobe, my clothes are comfortable," Hermione admitted.

"They might be comfortable, but they aren't form-fitting in the slightest. I'll make sure we find you things you feel comfortable in," Pansy replied.

"Let me think about it," she answered, before a voice interrupted them.

"Pansy Parkinson isn't with Malfoy or Zabini. What are you doing all by yourself? Did they abandon you?" Ron Weasley snarled, "Well at least you have one of your mindless followers so you're not completely alone."

Hermione spun around, "Are those seriously the best insults you can come up with now that I'm not there to back you up? You sound ridiculous. Just walk past us and leave us alone, we aren't causing you any trouble."

"Hermione?" Ron's eyes bulged out, "Is that you?"

"Of course it's me, what do I look like a sack of potatoes?" Hermione huffed.

"You definitely don't look like a sack of potatoes. You look really good Hermione, I like your hair," Harry told her kindly.

"Thank you Harry," she smiled at him.

Ron laughed, "Just because you changed your hair, doesn't mean people are going to start to like you again. You're selfish and inconsiderate."

"Don't worry Ron, your approval doesn't mean anything to me. You took my friends away, because you were too immature to deal with your feelings for me. I absolutely despise you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some clothes to buy," Hermione said pulling Pansy with her.

"Wow, I'm happy that I was on your side. I forgot that you're really good at hitting people where it hurts," Pansy complimented her.

"I'm sorry if I was being presumptuous when I said we were friends," Hermione apologized.

Pansy smiled, "Don't worry, I consider you to be a friend as well. I should thank Weasley for making you change your mind about buying new clothes."

"I guess you were right. I'm not the same Hermione Granger I used to be. It's time that I stop pretending and that I accept it. I need a change," she explained.

"Why aren't you the same Hermione Granger?" Pansy asked.

"I don't really want to talk about it if you don't mind?" Hermione said politely.

"Say no more, let's go buy some clothes!" she exclaimed as she pulled Hermione into the nearest shop.

"Are you sure I should be attending this?" Hermione asked Pansy nervously.

Pansy sighed, "Hermione. This is my party and I invited you. Give everyone a chance to know you. Since we started here at Hogwarts you've never been separated from Potter and Weasley. They aren't the most welcoming people especially to Slytherins. This is your opportunity to meet new people!"

"I thought that Slytherins didn't like muggleborns?" she asked confused.

"Does every Gryffindor like meat? Do they all like to read? You cannot generalize a house based on a few bad apples. You've heard a very distorted view of my house. Keep an open mind!" Pansy exclaimed as she did some final touches on her makeup, "I think we're ready to go!"

Hermione looked in the mirror one last time. Her long brown hair was left down in loose waves and she was wearing a pale pink dress. It had a high neck and back, but it was quite a bit shorter than she was used to. Hermione had to admit that it did show off her tanned legs. Pansy's enthusiasm was infecting her and she was excited and nervous to meet people from other houses. Pansy had her black hair in a loose braid and was wearing a strapless red dress. Standing next to her, she couldn't understand why Pansy had ever thought of Hermione as a rival. Pansy was gorgeous. With Pansy's help, she was starting to think of herself as pretty. Definitely not comparable to Pansy though.

Hermione followed Pansy throughout the castle to what she thought was an abandoned area of the castle. Along the way Pansy had given her so many tips about who to talk to, who was hooking up with who, that she didn't think her brain could handle anymore information. Pansy tapped specific areas on the wall in front of them and a doorway appeared. When Hermione walked through the door, she was shocked. A dimly lit room appeared. It had a dance floor, a bar, and a sitting area.

"Pansy! Hermione!" Blaise Zabini exclaimed as he walked up to them with Malfoy, "You're late as usual. Can I buy you a drink Pansy?"

"I would love one," she smiled and took his hand while they walked to the bar.

"And then there were two," Hermione said awkwardly.

"So how did Pansy convince you to come out?" Malfoy asked curiously.

She smiled, "Our conversation yesterday convinced me actually. You were right. I was stuck in the past. I'm ready for a change and I thought what better way then to meet new people."

"I noticed you changed your hair. It suits you," Malfoy commented.

Hermione smiled knowing that that was the closest thing to a compliment she had ever received from him.

"I just wanted to say thank you for being civil and polite this year. I had to admit that I was worried about being partnered up with you this year," she admitted.

"Well if we need to share duties, I figured it would be a lot easier if we stopped fighting all the time. I also grew up this summer. I've realized that there are more important things to focus on," he told her.

"Like what?" she asked.

"I don't think we've gotten to that level yet, Granger. Nice try," Malfoy smirked.

"I was wondering if you were going to let me get away that," Hermione smiled.

"Alright Granger, Pansy and Blaise are taking forever. Come on, I'll introduce you to some of my friends," he said as he lead her to a group of people.

"Granger this is Theodore Nott, Daphne Greengrass, Terry Boot, Tracey Davis, and Haley Dakota. Everyone this is Hermione Granger," Malfoy lazily introduced everyone.

Hermione was nervous and had no idea what to do in this type of situation. Everyone was staring at her probably wondering what she was doing at the party.

"Oh Hermione!" Pansy said happily, "I didn't know where you had run off to. I see Draco's introduced you to everyone. What did I miss?"

The tension in the group eased with her arrival.

"I love your dress Pansy, where did you get it from?" Tracey Davis asked her.

"You know I never reveal that kind of information," Pansy said as she thanked her.

Daphne sighed, "It's not our fault you never let us go shopping with you."

"You have to earn that right," Pansy replied as she winked at Hermione.

"So Hermione, I didn't expect to see you here. Are you enjoying yourself?" Theodore Nott asked her.

Hermione gave Theodore Nott a good look. He was slightly taller than her with black hair and brown eyes. He had very nice teeth and he was dressed well tonight. Nott had become attractive over the past few years, which surprised Hermione.

"I just got here, but I am so far. How was your summer?" Hermione asked politely.

"I interned at my father's company so it was busy. I learned a lot though, which is always good. How about yours?" he asked her.

"It was good. I travelled for a little bit of it. It was a nice break from school," she admitted.

"Hermione Granger admitted that she enjoys taking breaks from school? What has the world come to?" Theodore laughed.

Hermione was a little bit offended. She hadn't noticed that the group of people she had been introduced to had left and that Pansy had started flirting with Blaise again. She was about to walk over when Theodore grabbed her arm gently.

"I'm sorry. I was just kidding. I realize that we just met so you probably didn't realize that. Can we start over? My name is Theodore Nott, but I prefer to be called Theo," he held out his hand for her.

Hermione hesitated, but decided to take the risk and shook his hand, "It's very nice to meet you Theo. My name is Hermione Granger, but you can call me Hermione."

"You don't have a nickname?" he laughed.

"I don't enjoy being called Hermy believe it or not. I don't know what my parents were thinking giving me a long name without a decent nickname," she replied smiling.

Theo thought for a second, "How about 'Mione?"

"I think Harry and Ron ruined that for me as well," Hermione admitted.

"You are very particular about nicknames, how about Mia?" he asked.

"I suppose that could work," she answered, "I've never really thought about it."

"Well it's settled. I will call you Mia from now on! Now onto a more important question, can I buy you a drink?" Theo smiled.

"One drink couldn't hurt," Hermione said as they started walking to the bar.

Hours later, Hermione was still talking to Theo. One drink had turned into several and she found that they had a lot more in common than she had originally thought. He had admitted that he had never spoken to her before, because she intimidated him slightly. They both loved books, the same type of music, and she found that his stories made her laugh several times that night. Haley Dakota and Terry Boot had joined their conversation for an hour, so she was happy that she had socialized a little bit. She had never had this much fun at a party before. Hermione was grateful that Pansy had invited her. The party was starting to die down and a few people had already left.

"I should probably get back to my dorm, it's very late already," Hermione told Theo.

"That's a good idea. Would you like me to walk you back?" he asked her.

"I would like that," she smiled, "Let's go say goodbye to Blaise and Pansy first."

Hermione and Theo walked towards the bar looking for them. She had glimpsed Malfoy dancing with a sixth year on the dance floor. She was surprised that he could pick up girls. She had never really thought of him as charming, but if you didn't know him he was quite attractive. Dismissing that thought, she walked for a few more minutes before she finally found Pansy.

"Hermione! Are you having fun?" Pansy asked her drunk.

"Yes I am, thank you for inviting me. I just wanted to let you know that I'm leaving," she told her.

"Alright, did you want to have lunch tomorrow together in the Great Hall? Come to the Slytherin table," Pansy suggested.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow!" Hermione yelled over the music.

Sadly, they reached the Gryffindor Tower faster than Hermione had expected. She was really enjoying tonight and didn't really want it to end.

"I had a great time tonight," Theo smiled.

"I did too. I'm very happy we met," Hermione admitted.

"I was wondering if you would be interested in going on a date with me?" he asked nervously.

She smiled, "I would be. Let me know the details. I'm quite tired, so I'm going to head up to bed now."

Hermione turned away from him when he asked her to wait for a second. She turned around and Theo gently grabbed her face and kissed her softly.

"Good night Mia," he smiled.

"Good night," she answered before heading to her dorm.

Hermione quickly got ready for bed before snuggling into her bed. She had never expected to get asked out by Theodore Nott. Hermione felt giddy. This was the first time in awhile that she was happy. She really did have a great time at the party and she slowly drifted to sleep with a smile on her face.

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