His head felt full as soon as he walked in. The air was heavy with the thick blue smoke vaguely reminiscent of the moors. Music slammed out against the speakers in a pulse breaking beat. Most of the club was shrouded in darkness barring the faint blue lights scattered around the booths and bar.
"Are you sure we should be here?" Hermione questioned behind him, a thick layer of skepticism was layered in her voice. He felt her jump towards him as a ghostly howl echoed against the walls. Turning to face her he pointedly avoided looking down. Theo should never be trusted to dress a woman, he wouldn't recognize subtle if it bit him in the eye. The black tube of fabric that was sucked against Hermione's skin could barely be considered a shirt let alone a dress and was not at all public appropriate from any angle other than head on and three meters away.
"Always open to everyone." Theo responded jauntily as Blaise's gaze instantly turned to follow a wispy slip of a woman. Draco only caught a glimpse but was willing to bet she was some sort of veela and even she had more skin covered than Hermione.
"We can go." Draco responded over the din. Something felt off but he couldn't quite identify what it was. His eyes roved over the crowd sensing nothing out of the ordinary. As his attention drifted back to Hermione he had to remind himself to latch on to her discolored green eyes. With how close they were crammed even her lightly tanned shoulders felt dangerous and inappropriate. Theo had cast some sort of glitter charm on her skin to hide her scar and it reflected the moonlight in an even ethereal sheen.
"No. I want to stay." Hermione shook her head astutely, her now black curls bouncing around her face.
"Dance with me!" Theo shouted, pulling her off into the crowd. "Blaise hogged you last time and if Draco isn't going to make a move he doesn't get dibs."
"I am no one's dibs!" For some reason she looked at him. He gave a shrug of his shoulders as she disappeared. Blaise actually stuck around long enough to join him at their usual booth. Within ten minutes Theo came sulking back minus one dance partner and up a drink.
"What happened to you?" Blaise crooned past a huldra that had settled in his lap, stoking small flames on the table.
"She lasted less than two minutes before poof!" Theo threw his hands up into the air, spilling the last remnants of his drink. "Someone hit me with a tripping spell and she was gone."
"Aren't you responsible." Draco grunted sarcastically as he scanned the crowd looking for a mop of honey brown. "We should probably check on her."
"Relax. She'll be fine." Blaise rolled his eyes dismissively as he whispered something in the spirit's ear. Draco grimaced and turned out to watch the dance floor anyway, eyes scanning for her.
Hours later he had only glimpsed Hermione once, dancing with a thin wizard before the crush of bodies had swallowed her up again.
"You were supposed to be watching her." He all but hissed to Theo on the fourth pass of the floor. They had tried their best to find her but the place was so full on Saturdays the best they could catch were glimpses.
"Calm down mate. She's right over there. By the bathrooms." Theo held up his hands in surrender. Draco's eyes roved over her the first time, skipping the deep raven head entirely. It was only when he remembered the glamour he was able to properly pick her out. Next time he would make sure she had hot pink hair so he could find the reckless witch when she flitted off to do Merlin-knows-what.
"Do we need to do something about that?" Theo shouted from his right, his voice marked with uncertainty. Draco's eyes settled on where Hermione was leaning against a wall speaking very familiarly with a werewolf. The mutt was pawing at her hip clearly aiming for new territory.
"She's a big girl. She can handle herself." Draco spat unconvincingly as she lightly pushed the hand away with a giggle.
"I am less worried about her and more what you plan on doing mate." Blaise drawled looking meaningfully at his drink. The remaining liquid of all three glasses leaked out from hairline cracks, splattering against the floor in a slow drip. He forced himself to release his drink onto a nearby bar table. Blaise watched him blankly while doing the same.
"Do you need to go?" Blaise asked in a carefully measured voice.
"I'm fine." He was most certainly not fine.
"What was that about?" Theo questioned shooting a quick wink at the waitress that skittered by them with a wave of his now empty drink. Almost immediately it was replaced and he blew a jaunty kiss.
"Nothing. I just hate werewolves." He muttered, wondering if he could make one of the lights fall without crushing Hermione in the process.
"What about Harrison?" Blaise asked, recalling the shop owner in Turkey.
"Or Michelle." Theo responded, bringing up images of a girl Blaise had dated.
"Or-"
"Fine I hate that werewolf." Draco spat feeling ready to set something on fire as the man called over a few of his group. They were obscuring her from his view and the last shot he had of Hermione's face looked distinctly worried. "There's more."
Theo and Blaise started forward, mirroring his own step. Before he could do anything too drastic a slight wave of magic passed briefly over him. His nerves were immediately calmed when all of the males hit the floor in a clatter, their bodies perfectly stiff. She gave a haughty little toss of her hair before gingerly stepping around the casualties and making her way over to the bar.
"Yikes." Theo stated relaxing his posture back into a slouch,
"Talk about a witch." Blaise responded in an almost dreamy voice. "Should we-
"I think I need another drink." Draco was already heading off to where he had last seen her, his friends lost in the crush of people.
When he found her again she was at the bar. Her hair had caught some dew from the rolling banks of fog and sparkled in the moonlit hue of the lamps. She was desperately trying to get the attention of the goblin behind the bar to no avail. Each successive attempt of throwing her arm up slipped the hem of the bandage she called a dress higher, revealing the warm, soft peach skin of her thigh. As it was there wasn't much of anywhere left for it to go.
"An oclotonic and gin." He stated plainly, lightly tapping three galleons on the bar. The goblin instantly turned toward him and nodded. He kept his eyes trained straight ahead, forcing himself to breathe.
"Anything else?"
"A giggle water for the lady." He responded, tossing the goblin the gross overpayment. The creature merely snapped it away before beginning to prep the drinks. The heavy upfront tip would keep Hermione from bending over the bar too much tonight.
"Thanks! I have been trying to get his attention for ages." She sighed, still breathing hard.
"Well you have got the attention of half of the bar." He responded as his drink slid down the bar towards him. Her flushed face looked at him without comprehension."I wouldn't be surprised if half the males in here knew what color your knickers are. If you're even wearing any under that slip of a dress."
"Draco!" She hissed spinning around with red cheeks, yanking on the hemline. She must have indeed drawn some attention as the flush extended to her neck and she stiffened before turning back with robotic motions. "I hate Theo."
"Don't we all." He responded with a nod towards the goblin as her drink appeared in her hand.
"Your eyes are yellow." She huffed sipping her drink, instantly letting out an adorably charming burst of giggles. He tipped his head towards his milky white drink, smirking at her reaction. She could use some lightening up. As long as it was within two meters of him so he could keep her out of trouble that is. He could really get used to her presence. At least with the guys around to keep his irrational anger in check.
"I like the silver better." It was his turn to fight down his blush. He looked away to avoid saying anything. Scanning the crowd offered no solace however it did present a new problem. A suspicious face spotted them from across the crowd, a single-minded purpose burning in the dull light.
"Shit."
"What?" Hermione responded attempting to follow his gaze. He pulled her tight against his chest, looking for all the world like a possessive asshole. He would probably be paying for that later judging by the sharp intake of breath.
"Potter is here." He smiled gently and faked a laugh as he looked down at her. It was a poorly planned move as her chest was squeezed tightly into the outfit and was only prevented from spilling over the top by the Grace of Lady Vosin herself. He shifted uncomfortably and risked a glance up only to see a dark head of hair moving along the edge of the bar very clearly having spotted the both of them. "And he's coming over."
"I have to-" She pulled away slightly, tensing in his grip. He felt the beginning stages of her panic set in at a tremble. He snaked an arm around her waist hoping to Merlin she would catch on.
"You can't. He has already seen you. You are just a faceless witch of the night right now. Let it stay that way." He could very nearly feel the burn of her anger through his shirt but he knew her leaving would just look more suspicious. She really didn't look a thing like herself currently. As long as she didn't give it away before then, Potter would have to move on quickly or risk drawing attention.
"I hate you."
"Potter." He greeted as if it was the most minor annoyance in the world. He was close to horrified as the head of black hair shook against his chest with a giggle. Her hand lightly tracing his collarbone.
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"Malfoy."
Shite shite shite. Hermione was in emergency mode. Every cell in her body screamed for her to bolt. It was only the gridlock grip on her waist that made sure she stayed put. She would kill him for this.
"Fancy seeing you here." Malfoy shouted as diplomatically as possible over the music.
"Who's your friend?" Even with the pounding base of the music she was sure Harry would hear her heart slamming against her chest. "I thought she looked familiar."
"Drakie? Is this a friend of yours?" She responded in a voice she had hoped was breathy and seductive. Judging by the stuttering laugh from Draco she had failed spectacularly. Taking the last ditch effort she cast a quick glamour spell, making her face appear thinner and throwing some freckles across her nose for good measure. She felt both boys inhale sharply and hoped Harry would think it was some sort of cosmetic spell. Before anyone could react, Draco's drink dumped onto the floor. Hermione squealed as it hit her legs. He glanced down at her wholly unfamiliar face. To his credit he didn't jump, but she could have done without the grimace. "Goblin another Cinnamon Snap."
"Damn sorry about that love." He spoke into her ear as if they could barely hear each other, his lips tickling along it's shell. Hermione shivered under the touch. He was forced to pull away as a similar looking but much different smelling drink appeared. He pulled back sighing as Harry cleared his throat impatiently. His voice leaked with disdain, all but the perfect image of his father. "Mia. I present to you the great Harry Potter."
Reluctantly she let her eyes slip up to tackle an old ghost. His eyes were still as vibrant as ever with thick dark lashes that were a striking contrast to the color. They carried a heavy suspicion that was quickly fading. The rolling banks of fog gave his still mostly uncontrollable hair movement as it drifted across his forehead hiding a faded lightning bolt. She was never able to make that damn scar disappear.
"Oh my-" She forced a painful level of excitement into her voice trying her best to demonstrate the mettle of a cocker spaniel at a volume loud enough to be heard. "Harry Potter. Minister of boy-who-lived, the hero of-"
"Please. Harry is just fine." He cowed uncomfortably, suddenly looking like her childhood friend again as he rubbed his arm absently. "And you are?"
"Mia Merago. At your service in any way ." She purred and forced herself to ignore the goosebumps that crawl up the back of her spine as her old friend visibly shuddered. She knew all the right buttons to push to make him withdraw, even if she felt bad about doing it."Drakie, you never said-"
She cut off the statement with a yelp as she felt a pinch at the back of her arm. She risked a glance up but Draco had the same stoic bland look though she was able to make out the slightest twitch at the corner of his mouth.
"Actually I have some questions if you don't mind." Harry shouted, pulling out his wand and lightly tapping his throat. He gestured to her asking for permission but before she could give it she saw Draco's wand held out to Harry.
"We're already connected. Besides, you can't ask a witch you just met to let you point a wand at her throat. It's rude Potter… and suggestive." To her surprise Harry didn't really react. He simply breathed out slowly schooling himself before nodding to Draco. Draco scowled but lightly tapped his wand at the side of Harry's throat before pulling her tight against his body.
"Well pet, he can hear us now so let's keep things suitable for... I wouldn't say polite... For intrusive company." Hermione forced down a sip of her drink to produce a passable giggle.
"Miss Merago. I am so sorry to intrude on your time." She was able to produce an actual giggle as she saw Harry scrunch up his face while he stared at the possessive hand around her waist. "I just saw you drop that petrification hex and wanted to commend your skills."
"Oh it was nothing." She brushed off lightly absently dragging her hand along Draco's trying her very best to make it look natural. She was unsure if the resulting goosebumps were an indicator of her doing it correctly or terribly.
"Four grown wizards with one hex is certainly not nothing." Harry responded, shoving his hands in his pockets. A small pang went through her heart when she realized he was wearing a Weasley jumper. She wondered if Molly still made them for her and they were just piling up in a closet somewhere. Probably not. It was best they all had forgotten about her, apparently not including Harry.
"They were werewolves actually." Draco nearly growled out.
"Oh. You saw that." She managed to eek out meekly. Judging by the resulting flash of steel in his now orange eyes he had indeed. It was stupid really, she should have known better. A hex that large certainly wouldn't go unnoticed.
"Even more impressive." Harry responded nodding his head. As the music paused the lights brightened for a moment, better lighting his face. He looked tired. So awfully tired. She knew his life was probably very stressful now and felt a stab of guilt at not being around to help him suffer through the dredge that was ministry work.
"Well I grew up around boys. You have to learn to be quick." She supplied the half truth easily and felt her body loosen slightly. Draco's hand had drifted to draw possessive little circles around her hip bone. She found it to be a welcome distraction and let herself relax against him, smirking in the sharp intake of breath behind her.
"Where did you grow up?" Harry questioned watching her carefully.
"Spain." They both responded at the same time. The hint of suspicion behind his eyes indicated they probably sounded rehearsed and caused her to tense again.
"Barcelona, she's part of the Nott family." Draco finished for her taking a casual sip of his new drink. "Why do you care?"
"I am just being polite." Harry offered with a blank look, his green eyes flashing, knowing he had caught on to something. Damn his natural intuition. "Ever been to Australia?"
"No." Hermione responded a bit too quickly. He was throwing her off kilter, his expressions were too close, too nostalgic. "Why do you ask?"
"Well your magic. It felt awfully familiar." Harry regarded her with a guarded face. She briefly wondered why no one had come to save her yet only to realize the only one capable of it was floundering next to her. She flit her eyes over to Blaise and Theo sitting happily at a booth chatting up the waitress, completely unaware that they were in dire straits.
"That's funny. I didn't know magic had a feeling." She responded skeptically.
"Yeah me either." He supplied almost wistfully. "Not until a friend pointed it out to me. Her magic felt a lot like yours actually. Whenever she would cast something powerful, I could feel it. I would know it anywhere."
She felt Draco tense behind her. She needed an out and quickly. If it weren't for the fact Harry could find Draco in a minute she would have already pulled out a midnight potion and broken it on the floor. Hell without Draco she wouldn't even be here. God she was about three seconds from fainting. Maybe a quick obliviation was in order. It would be messy but she could probably pull it off right?
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He felt her resolve breaking. Her hand twitched towards her wand pocket. She was ready to bolt. He squeezed her arm in solidarity and apology for what he was about to say.
"And you are implying...?" He drawled boredly, dragging his hand up to trace along Hermione's collar bone. The movement distracted Potter from her eyes. He smirked when she quivered lightly. Maybe if they made him uncomfortable he would just go away.
"I was just wondering why that was. Maybe she knew her." He scowled at the two of them, his face softening briefly. "I'm just looking for my friend."
Draco scowled as he felt her stifle a wimper, she was folding and fast. He breathed out an apology, so quiet he was sure she wouldn't hear it, as he leaned down to lightly kiss her neck. "And what do you think she would want with a filthy mudblood like Granger."
His brain rioted as Hermione's pulse jumped underneath his lips. He was fairly certain he would be slapped but not sure by who. He refused to meet Potter's eye, instead choosing to tuck a stray curl behind her ear. It was wrong seeing them black like that. They should be honey brown, the kind of brown that when the sun hit it it flashed gold.
"Son of a-" He felt the general rising of magic and braced himself for the hit. This would look bad, so bad. But it would give Hermione a chance to disappear into the crowd and he doubted Potter would slip the whole story.
"Ew. A muggleborn." Hermione's body relaxed into his again, her back pressed into his chest comfortably. He hissed lightly as she brushed against him. Thankfully she was probably too petrified to notice. "You let them have wands here? What a travesty."
Harry looked as if lightning had stuck him before settling into a tense disappointment. Hermione must have decided one where her line was and had no issue trampling all over it. She continued the assault. "Next you'll tell me you let them breed."
"Lovely company you keep, Malfoy." Harry huffed out clenching his fist. Draco felt genuinely bad about the next move of this chess game. The minister was certainly an obsessive, overprotective arse, but it still seemed in bad taste.
"You're the one who came looking." He captured Hermione's face trying his best to focus on all the parts that were not actually hers. He avoided her eyes like the plague. " Don't mind him, love. He's chasing after some muddy know-it-all who dumped him. Seems to think I had something to do with it."
Just behind the surface of her eyes he saw the hit land. She had no outward reaction but she didn't need to. He already felt horridly guilty but it was win-lose at this point. "Don't worry overly much. He's only a half-blood anyway so it's hardly a loss."
"Well this has been pleasant." Potter gritted out though his teeth. Somehow the club still moved around them, completely oblivious to the turmoil unfolding right in front of them. He almost felt bad for the man, but if he hadn't been sticking his nose where it didn't belong he could have avoided all of this. Then again if Hermione went missing today he was fairly certain he would go turn into a stalker as well. At least until he made sure she was still breathing.
"I wouldn't call it that." Hermione responded, a borrowed sneer etched into her face. She did subversion well. Any other time he may be proud of her.
"You two deserve each other. I think I will get out of here before the madness infects me." He stared pointedly at Draco and he felt his heart drop. He must have clenched something too hard judging by the quick intake of breath beneath him. "After all, it runs in the family."
Potter turned and stalked off into the crush of people, not acknowledged or even noticed. The club once again became a din of music and shouting.
"Hermione I-" Draco started unsure of how to say it. More than an apology was in order if she would just let him live that long. He may have already screwed this whole friendship thing up.
"Not now." She muttered quickly folding in on herself turning back into his chest. She was shivering, her breath coming in ragged pants. He rested an unsure hand on her back just in time to catch Potter shooting him a killing glare from the door before stalking over to a familiar redhead to mutter something.
"Let's get out of here. Before the cavalry arrives." He responded with finality pulling her towards the staff apparition point. He and the boys had needed the spare escape route often enough that employees didn't even blink at them anymore.
"But Blaise and Theo-" He didn't look back when he heard the first sniffle. He couldn't handle it right now. Not in the grimy mob of bodies that was this disastrous night.
He finally pushed past the bar, dodging into a plain white room with a red carpet. He quickly pulled them to the apparition point outside of her workshop. It was actually the back alley he had been ejected too when she pushed him out of her fireplace. The realization of how far they had come in all of this struck him to a standstill. Funny how you go from being forcibly expelled from a witches fireplace to calling her first persona a mudblood to her face. Well actually, that seemed quite natural progression.
A siren sounded in the background, breaking his thoughts. The cold winter air clouded their breath, little puffs shrinking in size the longer they stood there. They were both silent, just taking the moment to process what had happened. When she exhaled deeply he forced himself not to grab his wand. Whatever she sent at him he would take it.
"Upstairs." Was all she said. Her small feet barely made a sound as they tapped the pavement, walking to the bricked up deadend. A door materialized as she reached for it, opening up to a thin rickety staircase. He followed sullenly, snapping the door shut behind him. At least if he died tonight Potter would be the top suspect.
World Building with Om
Huldra:
Huldra are beautiful forest spirits of Scandinavian folklore. The are frequently kind to coal miners, watching over kilns when the miners fall asleep.
Lady Vosin:
A real french witch/ fortune teller by the name of La Vosin. She catered to the aristocracy by offering love potions, fertility treatments, fortune telling, magical amulets, and poison. A fascinating character really.
Drink menu:
Oclotonic and gin: Changes eye color with each sip
Giggle water: (Canon drink) it literally causes burst of giggles when drank.
Cinnamon Snap: Smells heavily of cinnamon, causes a loud cracking sound when thrown back as a shot.