Sorry it took a while for me to update... longer chapter and everything...

This is a semi-important chapter… Semi-important.

To all those people who were insanely clever and went all deep and meaningful into the clue I gave you. You were all TOO smart. I did just mean Tinkerbell…

Callouts:

Selenes Song: Yay, lots of people said it was interesting! Thanks. Asun-Mary-Sue as I'm trying to be I can't help describing outfits… Fashion is a passion of mine, as long as it comes in all shades of black.

Cassandra Cheney: There's nothing wrong with being different.

Phantominhell: You should never assume. I meant Tink. Malfoy was definitely involved.

BeautifulMisconception: Thank you. Haven't thought about that

Justmaybe: No, she doesn't get drunk. But she'll wish she was.

Danish Pastry 28: If Pansy was invited who knows what sort of trouble would happen with this chapter. I'll try and get it longer, just last chapter I had to cut it for the cliff hanger. And you're review does make sense. Sort of. There will be a lot more ferret/Malfoy problems.

Chapter 9: Forced snogging, breaking up and black hair.

Smack!

"RON! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO!" Hermione shouted. She grabbed her boyfriend's arm before he could strike again.

"Yeah, Weasley, control yourself!" Malfoy sneered, clutching his cheek.

"You stay out of this! It's not about you!" Hermione snapped at Malfoy.

"I just got fucking punched in the cheek!" He protested angrily. Hermione shot him a death glare and went back to Ron.

"Why the HELL did you punch him?" Hermione asked, trying to be calm. Ron struggled against her grip, but she wasn't about to let go. "You don't just go punching random people!" Ron ignored her completely.

"MALFOY, IF YOU EVER FLIRT WITH MY GIRLFRIEND AGAIN YOU WILL DIE!" He lunged at Malfoy, who stepped back, out of his way.

"Flirt with Granger? That mudblood? You have to be kidding." Malfoy retorted. Hermione didn't bother with a glare.

"Ron! He was not fucking flirting with me!" Hermione replied, trying really hard not to lose her temper. The rest of the party had gathered around, forming a circle around the involved three.

"Yes he was…" Ron growled. "And you were enjoying it."

Hermione was shocked. She knew Ron had issues about her talking to other guys… but really… "Ron. You think we were flirting… and you respond by punching Malfoy in the face?" She began. "I can look after myself."

"No, you can't, and you just proved that."

"And in case anyone's forgotten. I'm head boy and you've just lost thirty house points to Gryffindor." Malfoy smirked. At least something good came of this stupid party.

"Shut up Malfoy." Hermione said bluntly. Malfoy was annoyed it didn't get a bigger response.

"Stupid mudblood," He muttered darkly.

"I can look after myself." Hermione repeated. "A did have a life before I met you Ron. I can survive without you. I'm not bookish, boring Hermione anymore."

"Not if you're flirting with Malfoy at every spare moment. For all I know you two could be sleeping together!" Ron protested angrily.

"I am NOT! You really think I'd do something like that?" Hermione asked, upset now.

"You think I'd sleep with her?" Malfoy looked horrified. He grimaced at the thought. "That is a bad mental image…"

Hermione felt like crying. She quickly turned her sadness into rage. "I can't believe you! Am I just a girl to you! That I am some sort of fragile object that needs you there to make sure I don't break or something?" She almost shouted.

Ron responded with silence. Malfoy and the crowd didn't say anything. This was turning into something like a muggle soap opera. It was good entertainment value.

"What do I have to do to prove I can look after myself? Do I have to fucking snog someone?" Hermione demanded angrily. Ginny gasped. Ron looked shocked. "I will if I have to."

Ron thought for a moment. Would Hermione really do it? Would she do something like that just to prove she could look after herself. She looked sincere. There was one test.

"Malfoy."

Hermione gaped. Malfoy looked horrified. Harry, Ginny and half the party gasped, the rest were stunned into silence.

"What did you say?" Hermione asked stiffly, all trace of sadness gone. Now she was just angry. Would he really make her?

"I said Malfoy. You said you'd snog someone if you had to. I chose Malfoy." Ron answered dryly, daring her to do it.

Hermione looked pleadingly at Ginny and Harry. "Someone tell him to stop being stupid." She begged. Ginny shrugged.

"You did say you would."

"But Malfoy?" Hermione whined. "Anyone but him. Neville if I have too…" She suggested awkwardly. Ginny shook her head.

"You said you would, so you are."

"When this is over there is so going to be two less Weasleys in your family." Hermione threatened darkly. Ginny shrugged.

"Wait. You're not actually going through with it, are you?" Malfoy asked, horrified. "Well you need us both to agree and I refuse."

"No one agreed on that. And anyway. You don't have much choice. You see, if you don't, we," Ginny announced, gesturing to the rest of the party, "can say you did, and let it slip to all your Slytherin friends, and if you don't die of social rejection, eventually some version of the story will worm its way to your father. And what would he say if you've been kissing muggle-borns in your spare time?"

"But I haven't and won't." Malfoy answered smugly, causing Ginny to grin harder.

"Oh, you can deny it… but no one believes someone in denial." She said happily, "And I do believe your social life would end right at that precise moment… So you don't have much choice at all."

"Neither of us want to. Can we just forget about it?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"NO." Ron answered loudly. "You have to go through with it or admit you were flirting with him."

"'Mione, just get it over and done with. Tongue in, tongue out. Simple." Ginny, attempted to reassure Hermione.

"TONGUES?" Malfoy and Hermione cried out simultaneously.

"That is the definition of snog." Ginny replied cheerfully. "And it was you who decided your fate."

"You're only doing this because he's your brother." Hermione glared angrily at Ginny, while pointing accusingly at Ron. Ginny smiled.

"Maybe…" Shesaid happily.

"Is there any way of getting out of this?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"Nope," Ginny answered still smiling.

"Bloody hell," Hermione sighed. "Might as well get this over and done with then…"

She turned towards Malfoy, grimaced, and kissed him. A deafening gasp was emitted from the entire party. Hermione gripped Malfoy's shoulders tightly, holding him at least a foot away. No bodily contact was needed except for mouths, and she wasn't about to let there be any. The pair looked unnatural and uncomfortable together, and no one was expecting anything like this to ever happen.

Ginny looked self-satisfied, she'd gotten her way eventually, Ron looked like he was in pain, Hermione had kissed Malfoy, just to prove she didn't need, didn't want to go out with him, he felt rejected and abused.

The kiss was quick, lasting barely a few seconds. The pair broke away suddenly, identical masks of disgust on their faces.

"BLOODY HELL! DID I JUST DO THAT?" Hermione moaned loudly. "Now I have to go wash out my mouth. Yuck." She turned and rushed into her room, only stopping to pause at the doorway. "Oh yeah, and Ron, for making me do that, we are over."

"What about me! GOD! I just snogged a fucking MUDBLOOD!" Malfoy shouted. He looked very green. "No one saw that." He too rushed to his room. Leaving the guests in silence.

Ginny glanced over at her brother. There were at least three people who were going to need serious therapy after tonight.

OoOoOoOoOoOo

There are good and bad points about being the daughter of dentists. The bad; as a child she was sugar deprived and Halloween was one of her least favourite holidays, it still was, thanks to tonight. The good; she could completely clean every unwanted germ amd taste out her mouth, armed with only a toothbrush and tube of toothpaste.

It took almost half an hour for her to be thoroughly satisfied with the cleanliness of her mouth. Finishing with half a packet of spear-mint chewing gum she wandered into her bedroom.

The noise from outside had died down. Ginny had probably sent the guests packing, not without a few death threats in case they feel like telling anyone what they saw, of course.

Hermione grabbed a piece of parchment and quill. Dipping the quill in the ink she drew up a title for the page.

People who must Die

She thought deeply. First on the list went Ginny. Out of everyone this was an odd choice, but after today who else could she pick? Next was Pansy, luckily for her she wasn't invited, though Hermione would have loved to see her face. Next was Malfoy, he deserved it for living. Then Snape, Ron, and pretty much everyone who was invited to the party.

She folded the list and shoved it under the bed. She sighed deeply. Her life was slowly going down the drain.

A muffled squeak was emitted from behind the pillow Hermione had just lent back on. Tinkerbell the ferret wriggled out form behind the pillow and walked, if that's what you want to call it, over next to Hermione.

"Hey Tink," Hermione said sadly. Being rejected was not a nice feeling. The ferret squeaked in greeting. "Did Malfoy dump you then?" The ferret's eyes were all sparkly in the dim light, she thought it looked like it had been crying, except for the fact it's not possible. "Well, me and Ron have broken up too…" Hermione said sadly. God, what the hell is happening…? I'm having deep and meaningful conversations with a ferret!

She got up off the bed and walked into the bathroom.

"Now… What am I going to do with this hair?"

OoOoOoOoOoOo

"Dear Mrs Weasley." Hermione read off a sheet of paper as she walked over towards Harry, Ron and Ginny in the great hall the next morning. Ron looked away as she walked over. Ginny perked up at the sound of hersurname. "I am writing to inform you of the horrible things your youngest daughter, Ginny, has done to me. Firstly, she had helped lose forty house points to Gryffindor," Hermione let this sink in before continuing, "ruined one black dress belonging to me," Ginny frowned, Hermione liked her new clothes and she knew it. "Forced me to… does your mother prefer the term snog or French-kiss?" Hermione asked. No one answered. "Okay then, snog Draco Malfoy infront of over fifty people. Sincerely Hermione Granger." She finished.

"You're not actually going to send that are you?" Ginny asked, unsure. Hermione smiled evilly.

"Maybe, maybe not…" She answered.

"Mum'll kill me!" Ginny half-begged.

Hermione shrugged. "I should say you deserve it."

"Please no…"

"Fine." Hermione reached out across the table to a large gold candle sitting in the centre. She held the parchment over the flame, watching the flames lick the corner, slowly turning it black. "At least it was fun to write. And anyway… I have a backup copy."

Harry, seeing as Ron wasn't about to say anything, and Ginny and Hermione were currently engaged in a manic staring contest while the parchment burnt, decided to change the subject.

"Hermione, why are you wearing a beanie? I know it's cold outside, but Dumbledore's heated this place up like a bonfire… It's boiling in here." He said, remotely cheerful compared to the gloomy expressions on everyone else's face. Hermione glared at him.

"That would be the thing I left out in the letter…" She pulled the black beanie off her head, letting her hair fall down onto her shoulders. "Ginny's hair dye didn't come out." Harry paled, the long, straight black hair had looked alright at the party, there were fifty other people with hair exactly like it. But now, in an every-day environment it made Hermione lookedscary.

Her hair had stayed black, and thankfully retained its straightness. The dark colour made Hermione's skin look paler, and her eyes seemed to stand out more. She didn't look ugly, nor amazingly beautiful, just very different, and definitely not Hermione. She looked more like someone who would spend most f their time picking fights with people, rather that staying cooped up in the library, not that Hermione had been doing a lot of that lately.

"Oh… right… It's not that bad… don't worry…" Harry tried reassuring her, though that sort of thing wasn't his strongpoint. Handling Voldemort and Deatheaters, sure, but a depressed teenage girl… no way in hell.

"It looks nice." Ron said gruffly, the first thing he'd said all day.

"I look like a goth." Hermione said sadly. So much for being a bitch, now all she wanted was people to besympathetic. Who would know that being forced to kiss Malfoy would bring such mood-swings?

"No you don't." Ginny said comfortingly. "Here's something that can cheer you up. You have potions next."

"And how is that supposed to make me happy?" Hermione asked darkly.

"Two words. Pansy Parkinson." Harry finished for Ginny. You'd swear those two could read each other's mind.

"Harry says everyone's waiting for another catfight." Ginny smiled. "I wish I could see that. Maybe she'll get annoyed about your hair."

Hermione looked up suddenly.

"I just had the best idea!" She blurted suddenly. "I've got to get Tink." She rushed out of the hall, leaving everyone else confused.

Yeah… anyway… It's not as long as I expected...

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