Disclaimer: I own nothing like always. Nor do I make money off any of this.

Chapter 8

It's Midnight…

Draco walked up to his dance partner still hoping it was Hermione. And as she turned to face him he couldn't help but to smile.

'Maybe she's going to forgive me.'

And maybe hell just froze over.

'Screw you my inner subconscious, look see she's smiling. Would she smile at me if she wasn't going to possibly forgive me?'

Maybe she's smiling at the fact she fooled you.

'You can't just let me be happy for a few minutes could you? Have to go and ruin my tiny bit of happiness don't you?'

That's what I'm here for.

After five minutes of Draco staring at her with a goofy grin on his face Hermione started to get worried.

'Is he stoned or something? What the hell is he doing?'

Thinking how pretty you are?

'Your guess is as good as mine.'

Blaise, Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Pansy couldn't help but to not look away from the staring contest. And as much as they were wondering who was going to blink first Pansy and Ginny decided that enough was enough and proceeded to give Hermione a 'gentle' shove towards Draco. Unfortunately for Hermione she was unprepared and managed to trip and started falling. Though luckily for Hermione, Draco had amazing reflexes and managed to grab Hermione easily and pulled her close to him.

"Are you ok?" Draco asked when he helped her to stand back up properly.

"I'm fine thank you Malfoy." Hermione answered as she eyed Ginny and Pansy with a subtle glare.

"You look amazing tonight. Granger I really wanted to apologize for my actions this morning. It was fair for me to blow up on you like that this morning and I really am sorry." Draco said trying hard to looking her in the eyes instead of at the floor where he wanted. He looked so pitiful that the only thing Hermione could do was giggle slightly at him.

"Malfoy I forgive you." Hermione said as the giggles stopped and she could speak with him more seriously. "But don't think I will every time. And please don't make don't make me regret forgiving you as much as I feel comfortable with right now for the past years." Hermione said with softness in her eyes.

"Does that mean you and I can be friends now? Or at least stop calling each other by our last names?" Draco asked hopefully.

"Friends? Not so much, but I'll do my best to call you Draco instead of Malfoy but I'm not making any promises." Hermione stated as she turned to the dance floor to look where Ginny and Pansy had gone.

'I'm going to kill those two twits. Who the hell do they think they are? I'm not so sure I was ready to forgive him yet.'

Yes you were. Might've not wanted to seem like it but you were ready.

'I hate you, did you know that? What makes you so damn sure anyway jerk?'

I'm you therefore I feel how you feel. That's where the whole impossible to lie to one's self comes into play.

'I'm pretty sure I didn't ask for a psychology lesson smartass.'

Fine, you want an answer, you hate animosity and living with him without forgiving him would've made that hard if not damn near difficult. Happy PMSer of the week?

'Fuck you.'

Hermione found Ginny and Pansy who were doing their best trying to hide behind Ron and Harry. Unfortunately for the girls the boys knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of Hermione's wrath and kept stepping away from the girls so that they weren't in Hermione's direct line of fire.

"I ought to kill you two. Why did you do that? I wasn't ready to forgive him yet. And I certainly didn't want to do it here with the vast majority of the school here." Hermione was yelling at this point so the Ginny and Pansy became smart and the three walked into a hallway away from the teachers and other students.

"Hermione we were only trying to help. Just to try and get you to talk to him not necessarily forgive him. And if you weren't ready to do so you wouldn't have." Ginny said look very apologetic.

"Ginny is right Hermione. All we wanted was for you two to at least talk. We weren't even expecting more than congratulating each other on a job well done with the dance and what not. And what Ginny said about not being ready is right. You decided to forgive him or else you wouldn't. You are nothing if not consistent. You make up your mind and that's all she wrote." Pansy explained putting her arms around Hermione's shoulders while Ginny's encircled her waist as the three hugged.

"We love you, you're our best friend. Even though we are sorry for making you trip, we're not for getting you to talk to him." Pansy said laughing as Hermione playfully shoved her arm as they walked back into the Great Hall to enjoy the dance.

As the dance went to continue Dumbledore called for the attention of the students.

"Now that we know who we all have been dancing with tonight it is after 12 and time for students to be back in the dorms." The Great Hall was filled with sad students as they made their ways back to their dorms. Hermione and Draco along with Blaise, Ginny, Harry, Ron, Pansy.

As the students pasted the group Blaise reached out and grabbed Brianna Whitman, a seventh year Ravenclaw that he had been dancing with all night and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"So Blaise, who is this?" Hermione asked, knowing exactly who it was, as she, Ginny, and Pansy circled the new comer to the group.

"This is Brianna; she's a seventh year Ravenclaw I've been dancing with tonight." Blaise answered seeming nervous about introducing the girl to the group.

"She's pretty." Ginny said as she played with the girl's hair.

"Very. Nice dress. Brianna was it?" Pansy said in a mock sneer.

"Yes it is. If you don't want me around I'll just be going." Feeling like she was being circled by a group of vampires as she went to leave. Though before she could really move Ginny and Pansy had grabbed her arms and made her face Hermione.

"Brianna you have nothing to worry about we're not going to eat you or anything. We just thought we'd have some fun." Hermione said with a reassuring smile.

"Well now that everyone is gone why don't we all head up to our common room, if it's ok with the head girl." Draco offered.

"It's fine with me." Hermione said picking at Ginny's hair pulling the confetti out of it.

The group made their way up to the heads' common room but half way up Draco and Blaise left the group and promised to meet them there.

"So where did those two go?" Hermione asked Pansy once into the room.

"They decided to go to the Slytherin common to grab some things." Pansy said as she walked around the common.

"I'm going to go change out of this dress." Ginny said walking up the stairs to Hermione's room.

"I think I am too." Pansy said following Ginny.

"Wait for us." Hermione said grabbing Brianna's wrist and leading her up the stairs. "We'll be back in a few minutes." She called down to the boys.

Once in Hermione's room Brianna walked around the room looking at Hermione's collection of pictures and books.

"Hey Brianna," Hermione said pulling Brianna out of her gazing. "Would you like some shorts and a shirt or something so you don't have to be uncomfortable the rest of the night?"

"Sure, that would be nice." Brianna answered smiling.

After the girls were done changing they went back downstairs right as Draco and Blaise returned carrying a couple of cases of butterbeers and three bottles of firewhiskey.

"Well I'm glad you didn't tell me you two were going to go get that when you left." Hermione said eyeing the boys carefully.

"Would you really have tried to stop us?" Blaise asked poking Hermione in the side as he kissed her cheek.

"No not really, just thought I'd try to keep up pretenses." She answered as she playfully shoved him away.

"Well now that you girls seem to have gotten comfortable I think we should do the same. Potter, Weasley I've got some pants and shirts you two can wear." Draco said as he started walking up to his room.

While the boys were upstairs changing the girls decided to get some glasses together for the drinks.

"Do you have any cards Hermione?" Brianna asked timidly.

"Umm, yeah I do actually. I'll go get them." Hermione answered as she ran up the stairs.

A few minutes later the group was sitting around a table as Brianna explained a drinking game that her cousins had taught her.

'So what is this called again?" Pansy asked looking confused.

"It's called Circle of Death." Brianna answered. "Theses are the rules." She handed Pansy a piece of paper that she had written the rules down on.

2. You: You pick someone to drink
3. Me: You drink
4. Whores: Girls drink
5. Thumb Power: At any time player who drew card may put thumb on table, last person to do so drinks (player can do this at any time - this card stays in effect until someone else draws a 5 then the player who had the 5 originally no longer retains thumb power)
6. Dicks: Guys drink
7. Heaven Power: This card is similar to thumb power except you use your finger instead and point to heaven

8. Mate: Pick someone to drink with you
9. Bust a Rhyme: This can be tricky for beginners, player who drew card must say a word then it goes in a circle rhyming until someone doesn't say anything or doesn't rhyme the word
10. Spin: Spin an object the person it lands on has to drink
Jack. Rule Card: Player who drew jack makes a rule that stays in effect for remainder of game, unless canceled by another jack (ex. Jill has to drink 2 beers every time someone says hi)
Queen. Question: This is tough until you learn the rules, player who drew queen must ask a question to someone, in turn this person must not answer but ask someone else a question. this process is repeated until someone answers a question or doesn't say anything. If you mess up you drink
King. Never Have I Ever: Player who drew king must say something they have never done,
if anyone in the group has done that thing they must drink
Ace. Waterfall: The player who drew ace must start drinking then in a circle like fashion everyone follows but the person to the left or right( however your circle is going) cant stop drinking till the person before them is done
Joker. Go wild, everyone can do whatever they please ( ex. make someone drink, drink yourself, make a rule

Blaise got up and moved next to Brianna putting his arm around her shoulders, "Babe I think we're going to need more to drink if we're playing this game." Blaise said laughing slightly.

"Ok, does everyone have a drink?" Brianna asked looking around. "Well let's get started then." She finished as she shuffled the cards.

There you go. Next chapter how will this game play out for the couples as well as the head.