Chapter Ten
The Great Hall was filled with students, all awaiting the grand Halloween feast. Hermione sat in her usual spot at the end of the Gryffindor table, with Neville and Luna for company. She would usually avoid crowded times like this, but she didn't have much choice as the feast would be served to everyone at the same time, and she was quite famished. The brown-haired witch was glad that she could find some solace in her company, as the crowd usually caused her nerves to run amok.
Probably every student was in attendance for the feast and Hermione noticed the few stares she got here and there. She tried to busy herself by engaging in some small talk with Neville and Luna. Before long, Headmistress McGonagall stood at the forefront of the hall and cleared her throat as she peered at the students over her half-moon spectacles. The noise of excited students chattering ceased as all attention was focused on the elder witch.
"Happy Halloween!" Headmistress McGonagall professed, a wide smile on her face. "Let the feast begin."
With the wave of her hand, food immediately appeared on the table. Hermione found herself impressed, as usual. In addition to various savory dishes, sweets filled the table. All kinds of treats were part of the grand meal: treacle tarts, pumpkin pasties, candied apples, assorted trifles, and so much more. Large bowls with sugar quills, small packages of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, and an assortment of sweets made an appearance for the meal. There were even a few chocolate frogs hopping around. Anything sweet Hermione could think of had a place on the table. She felt like a little girl for a moment there, excited over Halloween treats.
She was selecting some dinner for herself when Theo took a seat next to Neville.
"Theo?" Hermione asked, surprised.
More than a few people noticed the Slytherin sitting with the lot of lions - and Luna - and made no way to hide their stares. While some people had embraced the whole idea of house unity, some had not. A few glares were shot at the Slytherin, but Theo didn't seem the least bit bothered by them.
"Hello Hermione. Luna. Neville." Theo greeted them.
"What're you doing here?" Neville asked through a mouthful of food.
Hermione frowned at Neville's lack of even the minimum amount of table manners. It reminded her a bit of Ron, who she remembered doing the same thing quite often. She made a face at the disgusting gesture, before softening her features. Gasping silently, she berated herself for thinking such thoughts in relation to her best friend.
"I've come to invite you to a little Halloween tryst tonight. You too, Luna, of course." He flashed a wicked grin.
"Sounds great." Neville smiled at the invitation before taking another large bite out of his chicken drum.
"Oh for Godric's sake, Neville! Chew with your mouth closed." Hermione chastised. She turned to Theo and frowned. "I don't think so."
Theo's face fell and he cleared his throat. "And why not?"
Luna nodded, "She's afraid, which is quite understandable."
Spitting out her pumpkin juice, in Neville's direction, she ignored his outrage of disgust to face Luna. "I beg your pardon?! I am not afraid."
Smirking, Theo shrugged his shoulders, picking up a roll. "I'm afraid I have to agree with Luna here, Princess."
Muttering under his breath about the spilled pumpkin juice and how rude it was that no one offered any help with the mess, Neville grabbed his wand and cleaned himself with a quick Scourgify before vanishing Hermione's spit up. "Why not, 'Mione? It'll be fun." He turned to Theo, "Who's all participating in this tryst?"
"The plan is the eighth years, us, Draco, Pansy, the rest of the lot. Some sevenths, like our lovely Luna here and I believe…" Theo stopped for a moment, and frowned. "I believe Luna is the only seventh year."
"No surprise there." Seamus commented, from further down the table with Dean and Parvati. "Count us in, Nott. I don't know about you guys, but a tumbler of Firewhiskey sounds like a good night to me. What, with all this studying and not to mention that fucking unity ball, I think a round in the eighth year dorm is exactly what we need."
Stunned, Hermione couldn't help but think how odd it was that Seamus was willing to drink with the other Slytherins. She recalled his apparent distaste for the house through all the years before. In fact, she couldn't remember ever noticing many Gryffindors - or any other house for that matter - being all that tolerant of Slytherins.
"Excellent, mate!" Theo exclaimed, shooting Seamus a wink. "Mind spreading the word?"
Seamus nodded, smiling nonetheless. "If you promise to bring some of that Elvish wine I know you got stored up in your bedroom, I'm game."
In the blink of an eye, the smile on Theo's face was replaced with utter seriousness. "How do you know about that, Finnigan?"
Hermione watched as Seamus tilted his head back, letting out a roar of laughter. "I got my ways, pal. Don't you worry your wee head. We got a deal or not?"
"Fine, fine." Murmured Theo under his breath. "Irish wanker."
Watching Seamus and Dean stand up from the Gryffindor table, they split - one heading towards the Hufflepuff table, the other to Ravenlaw - and began to spread word to the other eighth years. Hermione was surprised at how easy that had been. She counted on drama unfolding and cries of refusal of how Slytherins were evil and all that ruckus. Maybe there were people around her really trying to make a change.
Feeling someone staring, she turned, making eye contact with Ginny, who was scowling at her, making her distaste for her known for all to see. She still didn't know why Ginny - and possibly the rest of the Weasley family - loathed her so much. Hermione had never felt so outcasted in her life, and it left her with the bitter taste of betrayal.
"Well, Hermione?" Neville pressed her.
Looking away to face Neville beside her, she nodded. "Yeah, sure." She should've been paying attention, because she had no idea what she was actually agreeing to.
"Excellent!" Exclaimed Theo, suddenly standing up. "I'll make sure Finnigan doesn't drink all the wine, Princess. It is the best and I would be sorely cross if you didn't get any." Giving her a quick hug, he winked at Luna and made his way back to Slytherin table to eat with Malfoy and Parkinson before an objection left her lips.
Turning back to a giggling Luna and a smiling Neville, she narrowed her eyes. "That was very Slytherin of you, Neville. I see all that hanging out with Malfoy has really rubbed off on you." she sniffed, turning her head.
"Draco isn't all that bad. Pretty decent bloke, actually."
Never in all of Hermione's years had she ever thought she would hear Neville Longbottom of all people speaking so highly of Malfoy. Just like the Golden Trio, Neville endured quite a bit of schoolyard bullying from the Slytherin. Obviously something had changed there, but Hermione didn't know exactly what. Perhaps she would soon find out.
Tonight would definitely prove to be interesting, at the very least.
Following dinner, Neville and Luna were both giddy with excitement for the night's events. The two of them rushed off to freshen up for the evening. Hermione walked painfully slow back to the eighth years' dormitory, still pondering over what she had just gotten into. A small part of her told her to just enjoy herself, but a much larger part of her wanted to back out of the whole ordeal.
"Nervous?" Theo queried as he approached her from behind.
"Not in the least." She told him honestly. "Just a bit curious, I suppose."
"Oh, lighten up, Hermione. Don't let that big brain of yours over-analyze this. It's going to be fun."
She offered him a small smile as they approached their dormitory. With a wave, she bid Theo goodbye and headed to her own room to prepare for their festivities.
"Oh and Hermione?" Theo asked her just before she opened her bedroom door.
"Hm?"
"Do dress nice."
Without another word, she entered her room and shut the door behind her. Dress nice? What the hell does that mean? She scoffed at the wizard's remarks, finding herself dreading the evening even more. The brown-haired witch released a sigh as she gathered her things for a quick shower.
When she returned to her bedroom, Hermione opened her wardrobe and groaned. What should one wear to such an event? She wanted to just say to hell with it all and put on her jeans, but she didn't want to underdress if everyone else was going to look fancy. She worried her bottom lip as she shuffled through the clothes she had. After what seemed like an impossible amount of time, she slid on a simple, classy black cocktail dress. Hermione wasn't even aware that she had it, but she was pleased with how it looked. Sitting down to her vanity (a lovely perk that was added to the eighth years' rooms), she tamed her hair and let it flow down her back, before applying a little bit of makeup.
Once she was ready, she headed out to the common area. From her door, she could hear the ruckus that was going on, the murmurs of conversations and unguarded laughter. She hadn't realized she was so late.
In the common area sat Neville, Luna, Seamus, Dean, Ernie Macmillan, Susan Bones, both Patil twins, Pansy, and Theo. Hermione was suddenly glad that she hadn't elected to wear her raggedy old jeans, as everyone in attendance was dressed impeccably. The wizards all wore suits, and the witches in elegant dresses. Of course, Luna was in a bright yellow dress with plenty of ruffles, but she looked stunning in it. The evening seemed to be well on it's way, as all of the students already had glasses in their hands. Some of them even looked like they were already drunk.
Hermione crossed the common area and took a seat on an empty couch. Theo offered her a glass, which she happily accepted. "Hermione, you look absolutely beautiful," he gushed at her.
Her cheeks reddened as she smiled at him. "Thank you. You look handsome yourself."
The young witch found herself engaging in small talk with the rest of the party, but one thing kept coming back to her mind. Where is Malfoy? She didn't know why she wanted to know so much, but it was odd, considering that she was told he would be there. Not that it makes a difference.
But Hermione was curious about her classmate. He was acting strange. Every time she spotted him in the corridors, he would stop mid-step and turn around. Almost like he was avoiding her after the whole incident at the Three Broomsticks. Perhaps he was. Why else wouldn't he show up if he said he would? She thought that if anything, he would at the very least he would ask her how she's doing. Maybe he hasn't changed that much.
As if her thoughts came to life, Malfoy came in from the hall. Hermione's jaw dropped slightly at the sight of him. His hair was sleek, brushed neatly to the side. He wore a black suit, which she had seen him in before. The classic look suited his newly matured features, particularly, his athletic frame. Theo nudged her with his elbow, drawing her attention away.
She looked over at the black-haired wizard and he gave her a wink. Deciding not to justify that with a response, she took a sip of her drink. The Elvish wine Theo gave her tasted sweet on her lips. She watched as Malfoy looked around the room and made his way over to her. As she glanced around herself, she realized that the only open seat was next to her.
"Sorry I'm late," Malfoy said.
Looking around, she didn't see anyone paying the blonde wizard any attention. She turned back, confused. "Are you… apologizing to me?"
"Smooth, Hermione." Theo chuckled from her other side.
Scowling, she turned back to Malfoy, who was chuckling to himself. "Well, excuse me-"
"Yes and no, I guess." Malfoy interrupted her.
"Oh." Was all she could say at the moment, her brain not functioning well.
She turned back to the scene in front of her, the music blasting, - she had no idea from where - the eighth years dancing, - besides her, Malfoy and Theo - everyone laughing and having fun. She had no idea what she had gotten herself into, but she began to feel slightly uncomfortable, like she didn't belong.
Laughter she wasn't familiar with caught her attention and she turned to see where it was coming from. Shocked, she watched Neville and Parkinson shamelessly flirt with one another. It had to be the liquor they were both guzzling down like fish out of water. Since when did Neville drink so much? She couldn't remember him ever having consumed alcohol whenever the Gryffindors had a party, or ever with Pansy Parkinson.
"Weird, isn't? Watching those two?"
She glanced sideways at Malfoy, noticing he was also watching the Slytherin Ice Queen and Neville. She nodded absentmindedly. "Yes, it is. I didn't know they spoke to one another."
"That's the whole idea of this Halloween party, Hermione," Theo piped in from her other side. "House unity and all."
Rolling her eyes, she took another small sip from her cup. "Oh, yes. Considering I'm sitting between two Slytherins, I guess their relationship shouldn't be surprising at all."
"Well, I'll take my leave now. I see a beautiful Ravenclaw in yellow begging for my flirtatious comments."
"Oh, Merlin. Good luck then." Hermione chuckled.
"I don't need luck." He pointed to his face, his lips puckered and his eyes low, shining with humor. "Have you actually seen me lately?"
Laughing out loud, Hermione quickly covered her mouth, swatting Theo in the arm. "You're incorrigible!"
A quick kiss to the cheek and a saucy wink, Theo took off, surprising Luna from behind. She shook her head, still chuckling. The two of them made an odd couple. With Luna's quirkiness and Theo's humor… maybe it wasn't such a bad idea, she thought. They could be annoying separately, but together, they would be a force to be reckoned with.
"What a tosser."
"Agreed," Hermione turned and smiled. "But, he's a good friend."
Malfoy hummed in agreement. "Speaking of which. How did the two of you become so close?"
She smiled fondly at the memory, but turned to Malfoy with a smirk. "He didn't tell you?"
"Nope." Malfoy resounded dryly. Hermione watched as he took out a flask and took a sip. "Refilling charm. Quite handy, really."
Laughing, Hermione agreed. "Indeed."
They sat silently next to each other, Hermione's mind spinning. She topped off the wine and sighed, feeling more relaxed since the start of the party.
"Fourth year, just before the Tri-Wizard tournament." Hermione told him, offhandedly.
"I beg your pardon?" Malfoy queried, having forgotten about his earlier question.
"That is when Theo and I became friends." She shrugged her shoulders and held out her cup to Malfoy, who's eyes widened at the revelation, but filled her drink with his flask.
"That long?" He asked incredulously.
"That long." Hermione repeated, taking a small sip that she now knew was Firewhisky. "Of course, we hid it, what with all the tension that year. We didn't mind having a secret friendship. It was quite nice for a while."
"That's…" Malfoy paused, chuckling. "I never would've guessed. No wonder you two are so… close."
The witch beside him furrowed her brow in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"
"Just what I said. It would make sense that the two of you are such close friends, if you've been secretly meeting since fourth year."
"It's not like that at all," she insisted, getting defensive.
"It's alright, Granger. You don't have to explain it to me." He threw his hands in the air as a sign of surrender.
Hermione didn't understand what Malfoy was on about. Was he insinuating that there was something more with her and Theo? And why in the bloody hell did he say friends like that, like he knew there was something more? And why did she suddenly care what Malfoy thought?
"I assure you, Malfoy, that Theo and I are merely friends. He was there for me in some of my worst moments. I regard him with the same respect that I would a brother. There's nothing romantic between us, if that's what you're assuming."
"Oh Granger, I wasn't -"
Malfoy was abruptly cut off by some commotion going on in the corner. Seamus was on all fours, roaring like a lion. Hermione figured it must be those sweets that Harry and Ron used to eat all the time. Everyone was surrounding him, laughing like they didn't have a care in the world. The witch smiled to herself, happy that everyone was enjoying themselves.
"Oi, Hermione! Do you reckon that night up in Gryffindor Tower, around third year, when we all stayed up eating these blasted wee sweets, and Ron ate two of them at once? What was it, the gorilla and the train? We laughed so much that night, I tell you." Seamus spat out in between laughing fits.
Hermione offered Seamus a smile as she recalled the night in question. Ron had a hard time with the sweets competing against each other. Smoke was coming out of his ears, but he was grunting like a gorilla. His face had turned sour, and he looked like he was going to choke. Everyone was giddy with careless joy that night. The young witch felt her eyes tear up, and she knew that they were inevitable. She shoved her glass into Malfoy's hands.
"Pardon me." She said as she made her way to her bedroom.
Malfoy stood to follow her out, but Parkinson laid a hand on his shoulder.
"I've got this one." She assured him.
The Slytherin Prince resumed his seat, watching Hermione and Parkinson's retreating forms.
Entering her room, Hermione slammed her door, banging her fists against it, knowing no one would be able to hear over the laughter and loud music blaring from the common room. She quickly turned, sliding down the door, as she silently cried. She buried her face in her hands as she trembled, tears spilling freely.
How could she be so stupid, thinking it was alright to attend that stupid party with their stupid laughing faces and endless drinks and snacks, dancing without a care in the world. She knew it was too early to share memories and she knew - knew - that she wasn't ready to laugh and joke and talk about fond memories with the other Gryffindors. She wasn't ready to take that step just yet and she didn't think she would ever be. It was hard for her to, knowing that she would never-
A firm knock brought Hermione out of her thoughts. She cleared her throat and quickly stood, making her way to the vanity that was placed in the corner. She checked her makeup, wiping away any evidence of tears from her face and fixed her dress.
Clearing her throat, she continued to wipe at her face. "Who is it?" She called to the door.
"Open up, Granger." Parkinson demanded from the other side.
Rolling her swollen eyes, Hermione walked over to her door and threw it open. "If you're here to make some funny joke about the bookworm who can't hang, you can leave. I get it already."
Attempting to slam her door in Parkinson's face, the other witch stopped her and made her way into her sanctuary. Staring at her audacity, Hermione sputtered, "Parkinson, if you do not get out of my room this instant, I will-"
Not listening, Parkinson took a seat on her bed, waving her hand. "Pish posh, Granger. I'm not here to fight with you, alright?"
Narrowing her eyes in suspicion, Hermione left her door open, folding her arms over her chest. "And what could you possibly want with me, hmm? We're not friends. Not even close."
"I'm just here to talk."
"Talk about what?" Hermione wasn't budging.
"About what just happened, what else? Parkinson rolled her eyes. "You're going to have to talk to someone sooner or later."
Hermione scoffed, shutting her door so she could lean against it. "I can assure you that there isn't anything to talk about, and when there is, I will talk to someone who can understand."
Parkinson's eyes narrowed at the witch before her. "Understand? I can understand perfectly well, thank you."
"How could you understand?" The Gryffindor accused. "What have you lost, in your perfect little bubble, in your perfect little world, besides the war, that is." Her tone was laced with malice.
The raven-haired witch stood, leveling the distance between herself and Hermione. "I know loss. Believe it or not, Granger, everyone suffered in that war, not just your precious lot!"
"The only thing you suffered from the war was your pride." Hermione scoffed again. "You think you know how it feels to lose someone so close to you, you feel lost without them? You think you know what it's like to wake up every single morning, wishing that you hadn't, knowing you have to face life without your loved ones by your side or have friends that now can't stand to be around you because everything is somehow your fault?!" Her voice cracked and she quickly swept away the tears on her cheek, looking away. "You don't know the pain I'm feeling, Parkinson, so get out of my room. Now."
Hermione looked up when she heard Parkinson chuckling as she shook her head, taking her seat on the bed again. She cleared her throat, blinking repeatedly and Hermione could see her eyes glisten from the moonlight shining into her room. She was broken. That much, Hermione was sure of, surprised that the witch was letting her guard down. Especially around her.
"I suffered, alright?" Parkinson whispered so quietly, Hermione would've missed it if she didn't step a little closer.
"My family-"
Sighing, Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose, exhausted with talking to the witch. "Parkinson, listen-"
"If you do not shut your trap, Granger, I swear to Merlin I will fucking slap the shite out of you. Now sit down and listen to what I have to say, alright?!" Parkinson shouted, as she took a deep breath.
Hermione was stunned. She had never seen the Slytherin Ice Queen raise her voice - ever. So she did what she was told, sitting on the bed next to the raven haired witch.
"My parents," Parkinson began again and this time, Hermione didn't dare interrupt her.
"They were cruel people. They wanted a son, but when I was born, my mother wasn't able to bare any more children. She nearly died giving birth to me. They were mean, selfish, evil even, punishing me just for being born a witch. The Parkinson line ends with you, you little bitch is what my father would tell me every time he'd see me. I always steered clear of him, afraid he wouldn't take it anymore and accidentally Avada me.
"My mother, she was the worst. She was so ashamed of me, she cried every time she looked at me. What in Merlin's name have I done that could be so wrong to deserve such fate!? My mother would cry repeatedly. She didn't care for me like how Narcissa cared for Draco, or even Theo's parents before his mother passed away and his father turned into a psychopath. My mother was a drunk because she gave birth to a daughter.
"You see, baring sons is important to Purebloods, so their heir could carry on their family name. I failed my parents just by being born." She chuckled, shaking her head a little at some memory she was reminiscing on. It made Hermione a little uneasy.
Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing. It must have been horrible for her growing up the way she had. She could never imagine her own parents disowning her for being born female instead of male. Now she felt horrible for the things she had said. An apology lingered on her tongue, but she couldn't bring herself to open her mouth.
"So, they raised me to be the perfect daughter. Taught me how to speak, eat and how to represent myself to the public, - and by raise me, I'm talking about pure, indisputable hell, which you can't even imagine. They taught me how purebloods were greater than half-bloods and muggleborns. They trained me to dislike muggles, that they were rubbish people who didn't know what went on in the world they lived in, breeding like pigs that should all be eliminated for breathing, for existing." Parkinson sighed, wiping at her eyes again. "I'm straying from the point."
Giving a little nod so that Parkinson knew she was paying attention, Hermione scooted a little closer to the witch, hoping she continued with her story. If Parkinson was able to tell her tale, what stopped Hermione from being able to tell hers?
"During the war, their behavior towards me was worse than before. They usually ignored me, throwing galleons at me for my school belongings, but other than that, we didn't speak or dine with each other. It was a lonely life to live. But Merlin, did I try to make them happy. Make them proud. I loved my parents, still do, but everything I did never seemed to work. They just hated me even more." She sniffed, wiping her nose with a handkerchief that Hermione had watched her transfigure one of her pillows into. "Sorry." She offered a small smile and sighed.
"The dark-"
"Voldemort" Hermione corrected, regretting it once it left her mouth. "Sorry."
"Voldemort," Parkinson continued, "came to speak with my father, asking for me to marry one of his followers - Antonin Dolohov - to gain another pureblood family. My father agreed so quickly, it literally broke my heart, but what was I really expecting for him to say? No, you can't have her? He was too happy to oblige, so willing to trade his only daughter for favor with - with that monster.
"Myself, on the other hand, I couldn't even stomach the thought. I didn't care what the blasted consequences were, I absolutely refused to marry out of obligation. I spoke up for the first time in my life, I wasn't going to marry an old man that attended Hogwarts with my parents and who was an Azkaban escapee."
Hermione silently gasped, remembering Dolohov too well. His curse that almost killed her in her fifth year brought unpleasant memories. She still had the ugly scar from it. Shaking the thought, she gave Parkinson her undivided attention. They weren't discussing her problems, they were discussing Parkinson's.
"Voldemort wasn't happy at all with my response. So..." she sobbed and Hermione quickly wrapped her arms around the crying witch. "T-they raped me and b-beat me over and o-over again. And my p-parents, they s-stood and w-watched while th-those vile men took me and t-tore me apart."
"Shh, no more," Hermione cooed, holding in her own tears as she comforted the witch. "No more, Pansy. I - I am so sorry you had to go through that."
Still holding the witch and comforting her, Hermione wasn't sure how much time had passed, but the noise in the common room had quieted and Pany's cries had lessened. She didn't want to let go of the broken witch, scared that she herself might fall apart any moment.
Theo's words kept replaying in her head on repeat. Do you really know what any one of us had been through on the opposite side? Hermione was for sure that she knew exactly what he meant now - or at least to some degree. She didn't know of the terrors the others had been through. She didn't much care because of the way they acted towards her and her friends on a regular basis. She now knew it was all an act, to keep themselves safe. It was a tactic to survive the War.
Come to think of it, Hermione thought that maybe they had been through worse than what she, Harry and Ron had gone through. Yes, they have lost loved ones, but haven't they as well? They've been through abuse and loveless parents. They've seen things, been through things that she and her friends were fortunate enough to not have to witness through the terrors of Voldemort. A chill ran through Hermione as she thought of the Slytherins she attended Hogwarts with and the things they've actually witnessed. The mere thought frightened her.
Slowly pulling away, Pansy gave her a small smile. "Thank you."
Smiling back, Hermione nodded, standing up and taking her hand. "Anytime, Pansy."
"So, we're friends now, are we?" Pansy smirked, even though her eyes were swollen, her nose red from blowing and wiping it with a tissue and her makeup a little smeared.
"Don't ruin it, yeah?" Hermione held out her arms and Pansy smiled, walking into them. The embrace was soft, and warm. The young Gryffindor felt a little glimmer of hope run through her at the start of a new friendship. Who would've thought?
Suddenly remembering the party, Pansy pulled back. "Shall we head back?"
Hermione nodded at the other witch. "Sure."
The two witches freshened themselves up, especially focused on erasing the signs of crying, and headed back to the common room to join their classmates. Hermione was glad to have heard Pansy's story, even if it was unexpected. She could understand now, some of her mannerisms. She was also a little glad that they hadn't discussed her own problems. Hermione would shove them to the back of her mind to deal with later. Squaring her shoulders and raising her chin, she walked side by side with her newfound friend to join their classmates.