A/N—Hello wonderful readers! You may be wondering why I'm posting an update a day early…surprise! Extra chapter this weekend.
This chapter ends where it fits most naturally to split plot points, but it feels unusually cruel to make you all wait the full week for an update.
The next chapter is called The Reunion (hint hint) and will be posted tomorrow. Hopefully the knowledge that next chapter comes with a smut warning helps ease the pain.
Chapter 20: The Christmas Party
November-December
Year 6
Hermione's eyes centered on the flash of gold under Pansy's sleeve as Pansy's quill moved across her parchment during Charms. The bracelet dangled off Pansy's dainty wrist, moving back and forth as it brushed against the desk. She tried not to fixate on it, but the longer class went on the more she found herself wondering about the bracelet.
How long had Pansy had that bracelet? Hermione tried to remember if she had seen her wear it before this year.
If it was new, was it from Draco? It looked expensive.
Did they really spend the summer together at the manor?
Hermione's anxiety increased at the thought, she imagined them in the library together, on the patio sipping Pinky's lemonade, laughing, touching—she pushed away the image from her mind.
Pansy was a known gossip; Hermione would not put it past her to stretch the truth. The Draco that Hermione fell in love with would never leave her for Pansy.
Then again, the Draco that Hermione fell in love with would never have iced her out for months.
Today, she was thankful for the ring to help stabilize her magic. Otherwise, she could not guarantee that Pansy's hair would not be on fire right now. However satisfying that would be to watch. Hermione pulled her eyes away from the bracelet and focused back on the lecture.
Hermione was beginning to feel like the Gryffindor curmudgeon; she could not seem to shake her bad mood since her conversation with Harry on their way to Hogsmeade. A few months ago, she never would have given the gossip a second thought, now it was all she could think about. She did not know what to believe anymore. The rumour had planted a seed of doubt in her mind.
When Hermione woke the next day, she decided that she was done moping around. She had a life to live and she would not spend it pining after Draco Malfoy. After spending months solely going between her dorm, class, and the library, she decided that enough was enough. She would go outside her comfort zone and learn to say yes to new experiences. She deserved to be happy.
Step one was to leave the library, step two was…she was not quite sure about step two.
Hermione paused, pondering the question, what was step two?
"I love a lassie, a bonnie bonnie lassie, she's as pure as a lily in the dell."
Hermione looked out of the corner of her eye as the melody echoed down the empty corridor.
"She's as sweet as the heather, the bonnie bloomin' heather."
Hermione stilled, she recognized that voice.
Luna Lovegood skipped into view, wearing all shades of orange from head to toe with a butterbeer cork necklace around her neck. In her hand was a long stick, the end of which was covered with bright blue and purple feathers.
"Luna?" Hermione called, attracting Luna's attention, "What are you doing?"
"Why, I'm singing of course." Luna replied, her eyes scanning the floor.
"I can hear that, it sounds lovely. Mind if I ask why you are singing?"
"I was just taking a break, actually," Luna rested for a moment, "I'm on the hunt to capture a sprategus. There was frozen dew on the grounds this morning; it is the perfect time to catch a sprategus as it prepares for hibernation. Would you like to join me?"
What in the world is a sprategus?
Hermione was regretting her earlier commitment to stepping outside her comfort zone. Though, her alternative was another night alone in the library or listening to Ron and Harry talk about the Gryffindor quidditch team strategy for hours in the common room.
Hermione paused thoughtfully before replying, "Luna, I have to be honest, I have absolutely nothing better to do. Let's catch us a spragus!"
"Sprategus," Luna corrected politely, offering Hermione a net from her pocket.
"Am I doing this correctly?" Hermione asked skeptically as she laid on the stone floor, her head tilted backwards with the net in front of her face.
"Yes," Luna answered on her back with her legs propped against the wall, "but you have to warble. A sprategus will never be lured out of hiding unless they hear you warble, especially this close to hibernation. It's their primary form of communication to signal that predators are gone and that it is safe to roll again."
"…Warble?" Hermione repeated in confusion, "Roll?"
Luna turned her tongue in her mouth, making a warbling sound as she swept the long stick with a set of feathers across the ground in a figure eight pattern.
"Hermione? Luna?" Harry's confused voice pulled her out of her thoughts, "What…what are you two doing?"
Hermione turned her head; Harry was standing upside down in front of them.
Or Hermione was upside down.
"What does it look like, Harry? Hunting for sprateguses." Hermione paused, looking to Luna, "Sprategi?"
"Sprategi." Luna confirmed seriously, her blonde hair splayed out on the ground.
The blue and purple feathers smacked against the stone floor as Luna warbled loudly.
Harry blinked. "I don't know why I even asked. What's a sprategus?"
Hermione rolled her eyes theatrically, "Come on, Harry, we have been in the magical world for nearly six years now. How do you not even know what a sprategus is?"
She swept the net across the floor as she stood up, pulling Luna up with her, "Let's go, Luna, we might have better luck down the corridor. The floor is smoother and easier to roll across."
"I—But you—What?" Harry sputtered, watching the pair of witches link arms and turn out of sight.
After an unsuccessful afternoon of hunting for sprategi, Hermione made her way back to the Gryffindor common room. She found that she quite enjoyed spending time with Luna, though she did not always find the use of their time productive. It was nice to talk with someone who knew about her bond with Draco.
"Hermione," a pair of voices sang her name behind her in the corridor, she fought the smile that bloomed across her cheeks.
"We are kidnapping you for the night," Harry informed her, with his hands behind his back.
"No arguing against it, this is happening," Ron nodded, his hands also behind his back.
She eyed them suspiciously, "What are you two up to?"
Harry and Ron shared a look.
"We kind of noticed that you've been not feeling yourself lately." Ron explained sheepishly.
"—And we, as your best mates, need to do better," Harry added, "I know we've been really busy with the whole quidditch thing lately and you might be feeling a little neglected…"
"So," Ron thrust a book under her nose.
She looked at it in amusement, "You thought I was neglected so you bought me a new book? Is this because of the sprategi?"
Ron looked to Harry who shrugged noncommittally.
"I don't know what that is. But this is no ordinary book, it's the one in that series that you told us about, about the vampire colony in Africa. It came out last week," Ron passed it into her hands, "I hope you didn't already have it."
"I didn't have the chance to purchase it yet. Oh my god, I've been waiting for nearly a year for this book!" Hermione felt a rush of affection for her boys, it was sweet of them to worry about her, "I can't believe you remembered and that you purchased it for me."
"Not just the book. We also have a night planned of exploding snap, ice cream, sweets, and if you feel like risking death we can always swim in the black lake." Harry grinned, showcasing his pile of goodies that he was hiding.
Hermione gasped in delight, "You even got the mocha flavoured ice cream! I've never seen that at Hogwarts before. Where did you find this?"
Harry and Ron answered at the same time, their voices overlapped.
"We stole it from Snape."
"We bought it from Seamus."
She raised her brows, unconvinced, "What really happened?"
"We may or may not but most certainly bribed Dobby to make it in the Hogwarts kitchens."
"What could you possibly bribe a house elf with?" She wondered aloud.
"Dobby is a very complex being. Did you know he collects antique spoons?" Harry informed her seriously.
Hermione looked from Harry to Ron who nodded in confirmation.
Ron tossed an arm around Hermione; she wrapped her hand around his waist and tucked her head closer to him. Holding Harry and Ron always felt like second nature to her.
"Thank you, I honestly don't know what I'd do without you—" Hermione paused.
There was a gut-wrenching tug at her stomach, she nearly felt breathless. She looked away from Ron and noticed Draco and Theo walking by their spot, the pair looked pale and shaken. Draco's gaze seemed to latch on to where Ron's arm connected with Hermione and her hand on his waist.
She caught the glint of gold in the light, coming from his palm. Hermione forgot to breathe for a moment.
He was playing with their galleon, rolling it between his fingers as he rubbed the rigged edge.
As if sensing her thoughts, he slipped it back into his pocket, leaving Hermione wondering if it was ever in his hand in the first place.
Her chest weighed down with guilt.
Hermione was annoyed at her own reaction, but she refused on principle to step away from Ron. There was no reason to feel guilty. She had long accepted that Draco had left her by his own decision. If he cared even the slightest, he would have offered at least an explanation. Instead, he ignored her when she needed him most. Hermione found herself pushing up closer against Ron, smiling up at him to spite Draco.
Just like that, Draco was gone.
"So, I take it this means that you're ready to lose to me in exploding snap again?" Hermione asked, a sly smile spread across her lips.
"Not on your life! You know that you cheated last time. I've been playing this since I was a baby, there's no way you could beat me this consistently without cheating." Ron grumbled, the tips of his ears pink.
Harry chuckled, "I don't think you're doing this 'cheering her up' thing correctly."
Hermione interjected, "No, this is exactly what I need," she reached for Harry's hand, "a day with my best mates." She paused, "A baby would have terrible reflexes for exploding snap; also, it explodes. Honestly, what were your parents thinking?"
"I was the sixth kid," he shrugged, "I think they were just happy to keep me alive by that point."
"Huh."
"To the common room?" Harry gestured towards the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"To the common room!" Ron called out like a rallying cry.
"What do you think we should do?" Harry whispered, looking mischievously at Dean Thomas who was peacefully slumbering on the common room sofa. "Should we let him sleep…or…?" He left the question open.
"I have an idea," Hermione said softly, a small smile on her face, "harmless, really. Should make for a good show."
"Hermione Jean Granger, are you joining in on a prank?!" Ron gasped in faux shock, "You're not going to steal his homework or charm his textbooks, are you?"
She rolled her eyes, if only Ron knew what she had been up to last year with Umbridge.
"I'll be right back."
Hermione returned several minutes later, holding a pair of old shoes.
Ron frowned, "It's not much of a prank as much as it's a bad fashion choice. Makes my old dress robes look in style."
"Let's not go that far," Harry quipped.
"Just help me put them on," she insisted.
They slowly pried Dean's shoes off his feet, he grumbled and rolled to his side but did not wake up. Hermione slipped them on his feet, whispering a quick charm to replicate the look of his usual shoes.
"What do we do now?" Harry asked, glancing at Hermione.
"Now, we wait."
Hermione pushed another spoonful of mocha ice cream into her waiting mouth. She pursed her lips together, relishing in the cold as it spread across her tongue.
"This was the best idea ever; just exactly what I needed to feel better. Thank you so much," She said appreciatively, noticing a pair on the table and tapping the card with her wand.
"Nice play," Harry marked a point on her board.
The score was now 15 to 3, with Hermione in the lead. The cards shuffled around the table.
"I almost had that one," Ron grumbled, hovering his wand over the cards as another pair appeared.
Hermione smacked the card with her wand. Ron attempted to do the same, a fraction of a second behind her.
"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed as the pile of cards exploded in a dramatic show.
The sound seemed to have stirred Dean. He yawned from the sofa, stretching his arms out at his sides.
Ron eyed him curiously, looking back at Hermione.
It began the moment Dean's feet hit the floor. He stood in place, his hips jutted to the side, then to the other side, then they rotated around in place.
Harry let out a snort, the trio's attention was solely focused on Dean.
"What the?" Dean mumbled, he looked around in bewilderment as his arms flung into the air of their own accord.
He swayed into a circle, swishing his hips suggestively, his feet following a silent rhythm.
Harry and Ron doubled over in laughter as Dean continued to dance. Harry looked to her with tears of mirth in his eyes, "Did you know it would do this?!"
She held back a laugh, "Last time it was tap dancing, I had no idea that the style of dance changed each time you wear the shoes. I found these at the old Black house the summer before fifth year."
"I think he needs a partner," Hermione suggested, watching with amusement as Dean completed one half of a pair dance routine.
"And some music," Harry added with a wave of his wand.
The room filled with lively music, the beat thumping in sync with Dean.
"I don't know what you did," Dean called over to the trio, "but I think I'm into it." He enthusiastically moved his hips, "Anyone want to join me?"
Harry, Hermione, and Ron burst into laughter.
"Ron?" Hermione sniggered.
He shook his head quickly, "I learned my lesson last time I tried to dance; I think Padma still has bruises on her feet from the Yule ball."
"Go ahead, Hermione," Harry encouraged with a wave of his hand, "Dean looks pitiful dancing by himself."
"Hey! I take offense to that." Dean objected as he led an imaginary partner across the floor.
Say yes to new experiences, she reminded herself.
Hermione looked to Dean who stuck out a hand to her. Dean took her hand in his and pulled her up to him, lowering her into a dip and curving her back up to him. She giggled as he twirled her.
"What are we even doing?" Dean asked, his lips twitching in amusement as he completed a set of intricate steps, leading her into another spin.
"Salsa," she laughed, throwing her head back and rolling her neck with the beat.
"Are we really?" He grinned, "These shoes are amazing. I've never danced salsa before, never danced much of anything to be honest. Except fourth year, but this is way better than that French waltz."
She faltered, missing a step before quickly recovering. Her mind flashed to periwinkle blue, a dark corridor, soft lips. Magic.
"Yes," she put on a wide smile that did not quite reach her eyes, "much better than fourth year."
Following Dean's performance, which received thunderous applause from the trio, Hermione and Ron were the only two left on the sofa as Dean and Harry fell into a comfortable conversation about the previous quidditch match.
Ron's gaze followed Lavender as she walked through the Gryffindor common room and up to the girls' dormitory.
Hermione held back a smile as she watched him, "So…Lavender?"
He looked to her with wide eyes, as if he believed that she was suddenly a legilimens and could read his mind, "No—What? Lavender who?"
"Did you really just ask Lavender who?" She laughed, "Wow, you are a worse liar than Harry. She's not seeing anyone, you know. I think she fancies you."
Ron swallowed, eyeing where Lavender had been moments before, "You think so?"
"I mean, I'm no expert but I do live with her. Girls talk."
He exhaled slightly in disbelief, "Wow."
Hermione smoothed his messy hair down, "You should try talking to her sometime. She's rather nice when you get to know her."
Ron gave her a lopsided smile, "Thanks, 'Mione."
If there was one thing that Hermione Granger was bad at, it was leaving a question unanswered. At this point, she could not tell if she was obsessing over Draco simply because she missed him, or if it was also because his silence was a giant mystery that she had yet to solve.
She had briefly considered sneaking down to the Slytherin common room and going to his room, but Harry was obsessively watching him on the marauder's map to prove his wild death eater theory. Hermione also thought she could reach out to Narcissa, but that was risky, especially if they had any of Lucius' death eater acquaintances visiting. Finally, she decided she would try calling Pinky in the privacy of the room of requirement.
Hermione paced in front of the stone wall. The door appeared and she walked quickly inside. She faltered for a moment, staring blankly at their common room. This time she was in it alone.
"Pinky?" She called out hesitantly, unsure if he would respond.
Pinky appeared with a pop. He looked tired.
"Miss Hermione called for Pinky?" He asked, wringing his hands nervously as he watched her.
"Pinky!" She exclaimed, pulling him into a hug, "How are you doing? It's been ages."
The elf hesitated before returning Hermione's hug, "Miss Hermione is doing well?"
Hermione hesitated, "Well enough. Pinky, I'm going mad here. I'm just trying to get some answers. Do you know what's going on with Draco? He won't talk with me and it's been months. Is he okay?"
Pinky looked uncomfortable at her line of questioning, "Pinky is not permitted to tell miss Hermione. Pinky will be in trouble."
She chewed on her lip anxiously, "Please Pinky," she begged, "he looks miserable. Is he ill? Do you know why he won't talk to me?"
Struggling for a moment, Pinky quickly mumbled under his breath, "The bad people will hurt mister Malfoy again."
"What? Who? Pinky, who will hurt him?" Hermione demanded as Pinky's face contorted into panic.
He gasped, "Pinky has said too much!"
Pinky reflexively moved to hit himself on the head in punishment; Hermione caught his arms and pulled him into a hug, "I'm so sorry, Pinky. Please don't hurt yourself. I won't ask anything else of you."
Pinky's large eyes filled with tears, "Pinky is very sorry. Goodbye, miss Hermione." He disappeared with a crack.
Hermione fell back onto the sofa, feeling completely hopeless.
Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, bad people in the manor. Bad people hurting Draco. She thought to his pale skin and haunted eyes.
What had happened this summer? Did it have anything to do with Pansy?
She made her way back to the Gryffindor common room, dragging her feet in fatigue. Laying on her bed she opened her locket; she watched the picture move on repeat until she fell asleep, clutching the pendent between her fingers.
Hermione was exhausted from the weekend. It had been the biggest match of the quidditch season and Gryffindor won due to Ron's talent—though he had been under the false impression that Harry had given him a dose of felix felicis. Ron had even ended the night with a kiss to Lavender, much to Lavender's excitement. Hermione heard every detail of the kiss later that night before bed. She was happy for her mates, though it was difficult to watch their relationship growing while hers was stagnant.
It was heartwarming to see all of Gryffindor house come together to celebrate the big win. Even if Hermione was not particularly interested in quidditch, she did love to support her friends and the atmosphere of excitement brightened her mood. That is, until she missed out on hours of sleep and had to try to focus the next day. She found herself hiding in a quiet corner of the library, attempting to make progress on her latest Charms assignment.
"Hermione Granger!"
Hermione turned her head, spying Amelia Williams walking towards her table in the library.
"How's my favourite Hufflepuff?" Hermione asked with a small smile, it had been a while since she last saw Amelia.
"Don't 'how's my favourite Hufflepuff' me, acting like everything is normal." Amelia replied in annoyance, her hands on her hips, "What is going on with you two this year?"
Hermione played ignorant, "I don't know what you mean."
"Well something obviously happened because the two of you look positively wretched—"
Hermione scoffed.
"—and I haven't found you snogging in an abandoned corridor once."
"Would you like to?" Hermione asked with her eyebrows raised curiously.
"Obviously not, ew, it's like seeing your parents snog." Amelia made a face, "But the question still stands. What happened?"
"You'll have to ask Draco," she said coolly, "he's the one ignoring me, I've been trying to talk to him since last summer."
Amelia frowned, "He's been ignoring you since summer?"
"Yes."
"It's nearing Christmas." Amelia stated blandly.
"I'm aware."
Amelia studied her for a moment before sighing deeply.
"Well, the last thing you need to be doing is sitting around moping. You're not doing yourself any favours by waiting around for him. You need to get out there. Go on a date! There are so many cute boys in your year." Amelia asserted, sitting in the empty chair next to Hermione.
"No, I couldn't," Hermione disputed, "because…well because…" she struggled to find the words.
"Because you'd rather pine for the rest of the school year, hoping he will get over himself and stop being a prat?" Amelia supplied helpfully.
Hermione stared blankly at Amelia before exhaling; first Harry, now Amelia, maybe she really should try just one date? If anything, just to forget her troubles for a night.
She thought to her heart to heart with Harry the other day. Even Harry had invited Luna as his date to the upcoming party, though Hermione suspected that had more to do with making Theo jealous than anything.
"I was invited to the Slug Club Christmas party; it seems most students are bringing a plus one. I hadn't considered it but…perhaps it wouldn't hurt to invite a date?" Hermione thought aloud feebly.
"Yes! Exactly, that's a perfect idea. What about him?" Amelia jerked her head in the direction of the table behind them.
"Cormac McLaggen?" Hermione paused, thinking to herself, "I mean, he's in Gryffindor one year above me and he's nice enough I suppose. I haven't talked with him much but he's already in the Slug Club. I don't know, Amelia, I'm not sure that he would want to go with me."
"You never know unless you ask! Go now!" Amelia practically shoved Hermione out of her seat.
Hermione glared at Amelia before straightening herself and walking over to his table with what she hoped looked like confidence.
"Hi Cormac," she gave him a friendly smile.
She relaxed her smile, suddenly nervous that she was showing too many teeth. How in the world do people flirt?
Cormac looked up at Hermione curiously, "Hey, Hermione, how are you?"
"Good, good, thanks for asking."
There was a beat of silence.
Cormac raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to continue.
"I was just wondering; do you have a date to Slughorn's party yet?" She asked so quickly that the phrases blurred together into one long word.
"I don't, not yet anyway." He smiled a charming smile, "Is this your way of asking me to be your escort? Because if so, I'd love to bring a pretty witch like you to the party."
Hermione watched his mouth, lost in thought about how her parents would appreciate his perfect teeth.
She realized she was staring, and she felt her cheeks turn pink under his gaze, "Yes, actually, I would like that very much if you're available."
"It's a date," he reached out and kissed her hand, her face heated from his touch.
"See you then," she replied, quickly going back to her table where Amelia was watching her smugly.
"Blush any harder?" Amelia asked with a smirk.
"Oh hush, I did what you asked. I hope you're happy with yourself."
"I am," Amelia said, looking quite pleased, "you have no idea."
"Hey!" Amelia chased after Draco in the hallway, trying to keep up with his long strides, "Earth to Draco Malfoy!"
"What do you want?" He asked harshly, not bothering to look over to her.
She snapped her fingers in front of his face until he turned to glare at her.
Amelia held her stance, "I don't know what you're doing this year, and I don't know what you have going on, but you need to get it together because if you don't then you're about to lose her forever."
"Just what do you know?" Draco matched her insolent glare with a sneer.
"I know that when a pretty witch like her is treated like rubbish by her boyfriend, she tends to move on and find someone who will treat her better. She's not going to sit around until you figure yourself out. You and I both know that. Speaking of her moving on, I overheard the most interesting conversation today about the Slug Club party next weekend." Amelia stated matter-of-factly.
She added, "Then I just saw a devastatingly handsome Gryffindor brazenly flirting with her in the library. He kissed her hand and she was blushing. It was extremely romantic; you know how she looks when she's all flushed pink. He's escorting her to the party next weekend. I'm just saying, if he's kissing her in public, who knows what's going on with them once they're alone together?"
She continued her speculation, obviously trying to incite jealousy, "They even share a common room, I bet it would be all too easy for her to sneak into his room late at night. I've heard stories of the Gryffindor boys and how they can bypass the rules for romance."
Draco clenched his jaw, the vein in his neck protruded, "You came and found me just to share your fabricated stories and manipulate me into going back to Herm—Gran—back to her, didn't you? I know your strategy."
"It's sad that you think so, because all of that was true. I'll even take veritaserum if you have any. But if you really think that I'm making this up, then why don't you look around Slughorn's office Friday night?" Amelia replied smugly, "Just a warning, you might not like what you see." she called out, leaving Draco seething in the corridor.
"Those two so exhausting sometimes." Amelia murmured to herself as she walked to the owlery, "What would they do without me?"
Hermione tugged at the hem of her startlingly red dress that Ginny selected for her; it felt much too short for the occasion. It was adorned with lace and a smattering of sparkles along the skirt. She pulled out a pair of nude heels, second guessing every part of her outfit as she put them on. Was this too dressy? It was a date, but did she want it to be that kind of a date?
Cormac was nice and all, but Hermione would not have asked him to the Christmas party if it were not for the pressure from Amelia.
Groaning internally, she wondered for the hundredth time that hour why she was going on a date with Cormac McLaggen. She was not exactly the casual dating type. Outside of her date with Viktor for the Yule ball, she had never been on a public date before. All her moments with Draco had been secluded, just the two of them.
God, she really needed to read a book on flirting techniques. How many teeth do you show when you smile?
She paused in front of the mirror, her eyes catching on her locket; she had not taken it off since Draco gave it to her over a year ago. It felt disingenuous to wear on a date with someone else. Somberly, she watched herself, observing her eyes that she had glamoured to hide the residual redness from tears.
Taking a deep breath for strength, she unclasped the necklace and placed it gently in her nightstand. She shut the drawer; without the locket, her neck felt cold and bare. Pangs of guilt engulfed her as she walked to meet her date.
The party itself was no different than a regular Slug Club meeting, with the addition of formal clothes and dates. Professor Slughorn even brought some of his famous contacts with him to meet the students. It made Hermione wonder if she would receive a call from Slughorn in a decade to attend a meeting like this, to be paraded around like a show pony for her future accomplishments. She was not fond of the idea.
"Are you ready to leave?" She politely asked Cormac, who was deep in conversation with Blaise Zabini on the merits of the current seeker for the Falmouth Falcons.
Cormac took Hermione's hand in his, lacing their fingers together, "Of course, let's continue this discussion another time, Blaise."
Blaise eyed their connected hands with a smirk, "Noted. See you two lovebirds later."
Hermione blushed. This was not how she had expected the night to progress, this was supposed to be a one-time date to distract her. Not a declaration of a new relationship. Perhaps she had been too forward with her invitation to Cormac.
As they left Slughorn's festively decorated office, Cormac pulled her off to the side of the corridor in front of the door to an abandoned classroom.
"That dress looks absolutely stunning on you; did I mention that tonight?" Cormac added suavely, his gaze lingering on her dress before returning to her eyes.
She shook her head, her heart pounding in her chest, "You hadn't mentioned it, no."
"Well, that was definitely a mistake, I won't be making two of those tonight," Cormac winked, watching her carefully.
He looked like Viktor had just moments before her very first kiss. Or like Draco. More guilt twisted in her stomach at the thought of him.
Cormac stepped even closer, his hand gently grazed her hip as he looked down to her lips, closing his eyes. Hermione's lips parted in surprise as Cormac's lips met hers, he took advantage of her shock and pushed his tongue into her mouth, brushing it against hers. His lips moved with her mouth as the grip on her hip tightened slightly.
The feeling of his touch made her heart ache for Draco. The feeling of 'just lips.' Her mind must be playing tricks on her; Hermione could have sworn she felt the Pull like Draco was nearby.
Cormac pulled back, brushing his hair from his eyes with a coy smile, "Wow, Hermione, your lips are just as soft as they look," he murmured softly.
She opened her mouth to reply, the words lost on her lips. She did not even know what she had planned to say as a response.
Should she thank him while showing an appropriate number of teeth?
"I'll be your escort any time, just say the word. You were a lovely date, in fact, the loveliest there." He reached for her hand, kissing her knuckles lightly.
"Now, as much as I would love to walk you back to Gryffindor tower, I have an astronomy assignment from Professor Sinistra to fill out a star chart over winter break," he looked at his watch, "and I'm already late for my time slot. I'd love to continue this some other time…"
She nodded numbly, figuring she would come with an excuse another day to avoid a second date.
"Of course, Cormac, thank you for a lovely night."
"Goodnight, Hermione," he flashed a pearly white smile, heading to the staircase which led to the astronomy tower.
Hermione exhaled sharply, holding a hand up to her lips. Had she really just kissed Cormac? Amelia was wrong. This had not helped her move on from Draco—all tonight had done was resurface all her feelings about him.
The wound of his abandonment felt fresh in her heart.
She took a few steps before pausing, there was the sound of movement in the classroom next to her.
Suddenly a pair of hands sharply pulled Hermione into the classroom, the motion tipped her off balance and she stumbled, one of her heels snapped on impact against the stone floor.
She turned to face a devastated looking Draco Malfoy; she reflexively clutched her stomach, suddenly feeling faint.
Draco's hands were pulling through his hair, his eyes red and brimming with unshed tears; his voice shook with emotion, "Seriously, Granger? McLaggen? What the fuck?!"
