"What's this, then? A couple's weekend plus me?" Hermione asked with a scowl.

"Astoria is still at Hogwarts. Sah, love," Daphne shrugged. "Marcus, be a dear and grab Hermione's bags."

"I might need a third arm," the bulky man replied, already carrying three suitcases and two purses that could only be Daphne's, but he impressed them all by grabbing Hermione's two bags as well.

"There's my guy, knew you could do it," Daphne smiled, receiving twin eyerolls from her partners for her efforts.

"Ready?" Luna asked brightly, bouncing on her feet.

"Everyone lay a hand on this bloody boot, now!" Draco directed, holding out an obscenely large leather boot that looked too big for Hagrid. Marcus got an elbow on right in time, otherwise he would've been left behind with all of their clothes.

"Finally!" Pansy scoffed, tapping her heeled foot on the ground while Theo lounged on a modern leather couch behind her with a book in hand.

"What?" Hermione asked. "I thought you two were in New York?"

"Change of plans," Pansy shrugged.

"She was scared of missing out," Theo called, nose not leaving the large book he was reading.

"He's lying," Pansy smiled. "This place is bloody brilliant, comes with elves and everything."

"This is a magic dwelling?" Hermione asked, interested. She wasn't sure how she'd been roped into a last minute trip to Salzburg, but now that she was officially jobless as of two days ago… a midweek trip wasn't something she could turn down. Especially as a fan of the Sound of Music, something she'd watched on her parent's telly many times during her lonely primary school days.

"Of course it is, Granger," Draco snorted, sounding dignified while making the noise in a way that only he could.

"Could you not be a dick for one minute?" Pansy asked, looking extremely unimpressed.

"Sorry," Draco replied, shoulders slumping. "You're too easy to rib."

"Apology accepted," Hermione sighed, wondering why she'd agreed to attend. Narcissa had asked if she would chaperone Draco and Luna, and the girl was hard-pressed to say no to the woman. The Black had an air about her that put Hermione and everyone else into a trance, like she was a veela. Whatever it was, Hermione had found herself agreeing without truly realizing that every one of her friends was there.

"Aye mate!" Adrian smiled, Hermione turned around to see Blaise.

"Who wasn't invited?" Hermione asked, alarmed at how out of sorts this trip had gotten. She walked up to Draco's side, twiddling her hands together nervously. "Does papa know everyone's here?"

"Of course grandfather knows," Draco scoffed. "You might come away unscathed, but the man would transfigure me then stomp on me like the bug he spelled me into. Everything's going to be fine, Granger. Okay?"

Hermione took a breath and nodded.

"Just relax, Hermione," Luna smiled, pressing a soft hand to her shorter friend's shoulder.

Despite the circumstances, Hermione found herself relaxing. Her friends were unlike anyone she'd ever met; their unapologetic mixture of privilege and humour left her laughing incredulously at most things they said, but unable to tell whether or not they were being serious.

That was why Theo was her favourite, honestly; the man would shake his head minutely to let Hermione knew when she was getting her leg pulled.

After dinner that night, which was put on by the kitchen crew of Meet2eat, a highly regarded restaurant in Salzburg, Hermione could have floated away with a full stomach and wine drunk happiness without a spare thought.

"Those chips," Marcus murmured, laying on the downy white rug in the main living room of the mansion. "Best potatoes I've eaten in my life."

"Swine," Pansy replied, disgust in every inch of her tone as she climbed onto Theo's lap and made herself at home. "You really write home about fried potatoes after a 10,000 galleon meal?"

"A what?" Hermione gasped, sitting up from the reclining sofa she'd been relaxing in.

"It was only 10,000 after tip?" Adrian asked, shaking his head. "We should move here if that's all high dining costs."

"You're all aliens," Hermione replied with the shake of her head.

"You need to be topped off," Daphne replied, snapping her finger and bringing a sangria-carrying elf into the room.

"Sangria is so classless, Daph," Pansy whined before waving the elf over now that Hermione's glass was full. "But it's just so good."

"How can a drink be classless?" Luna asked, sipping on a vodka lemonade.

"Wine, fruit juice and fruit? It's a drink for underage girls who can only get their hands on a half-full bottle of cab from their family wine cellar!"

"Sounds like you're speaking from experience," Draco replied with a raised brow.

"Of course I am!" Pansy replied. "After my brothers, do you think my parents were stupid enough to allow us into the actual wine and liquor cellar? The idiots didn't know the difference between pinot grigio and chardonnay, you think they knew what bottles were two hundred years old? They literally drank the bottle my grandfather had written into his will to be had at his funeral as third years. Third years!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. If that was Pansy's most cutting childhood trauma, then the muggleborn counted her lucky.

"What are we going to play since we're all old and taken?" Daphne asked after a few more drinks. The pretty blonde was laying on Adrian, looking completely comfortable as he fingered her shoulder strap.

"Truth or dare, just no sex," Blaise replied immediately. "Fill your glasses, and let's get started."

"What even…" Hermione asked, shaking her head as she sat up and tapped her wand against the chair so it'd fold back up from its reclining position.

"What's what, Granger?" Blaise asked.

"Truth or dare?" she asked, brow furrowed.

"Oh, no, sweetheart," Daphne pouted, looking actually sad.

"You've never played?" Theo asked.

Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat at being caught without knowledge.

"What's truth or dare?" Luna asked easily, turning to look at Draco who was giving her a foot rub.

"You precious, innocent lambs," Blaise murmured with the shake of his head. "You haven't even lived…"

"Instead of berating us, why don't you just count yourselves lucky that you had friends growing up?" Luna asked, sounding much more grounded and cutting than normal. Blaise looked sufficiently cowed, and Hermione shot her friend a shaky, grateful smile.

"You do now, my moon," Draco promised reverently. "You too, auntie."

"A bit tactless, but they're not wrong," Pansy shrugged. "You both are family now, which means we'll kill and die for you. And that's why you owe it to us to share your secrets and play truth or dare, no-sex edition."

"Me first! Dare," Daphne smiled.

"I dare you to tell us who's better in the sack," Blaise replied easily.

Daphne narrowed her eyes while both Adrian and Marcus scoffed. "That's truth!"

"It was a dare," he shrugged carelessly, wine glass held lightly in his long fingered grip. "Let's go, you know what happens if you abstain.

"Can we at least use the veritaserum to make it easier?" Daphne whined.

"I thought you'd never ask," Draco smiled, pulling out a large vial.

"Draco!" Hermione admonished, turning to stare at him with wide eyes. "Where'd you even get that?"

"What? It's not illegal, Hermione," Draco shrugged. "Drink up, Daph."

"I ask again, who's better in the sack?" Blaise said after Daphne took a sip.

"Marcus is hung like a horse, it's not really a competition. But Adrian's better at… everything else," Daphne replied, kissing both her men on the cheek. "Draco, truth or dare."

"Truth," he replied easily.

"When'd you first notice Luna?" she asked with a knowing smirk, passing over the vial of veritaserum.

He took a quick glug. "Our second year, her first. She was playing in mud near the edge of the Forbidden Forest, it was all over her light blue skirt…"

"I wasn't playing with mud, silly," Luna smiled. "I was burying Venetian pixie dust around the edge of the forest to keep the acromantulas away. They would've attacked students otherwise, it was a sure thing if I didn't act… thankfully I staved them off."

Hermione even had to suppress an eyeroll at that one. Acromantulas? At Hogwarts? There was no way.

"You looked beautiful."

"Looked like your sister," Marcus murmured, receiving a well-deserved slap on his forearm from Daphne. Though Hermione couldn't blame him; Draco and Luna looked a lot alike.

"I choose everyone for truth," Draco replied. "Drink up and tell me your best and worst sexual partners."

Luna took a sip and cocked her head, "Best, a one-thousand-year-old vampire I met in Slovenia. Worst, Ginny Weasley."

"You're a crazy bitch," Pansy replied, shaking her head.

Luna passed it to Theo next, puttiner Hermione last. Had the muggleborn mentioned that she loved Luna?

"Best, Pansy. Oh, thank Merlin. Was scared that I'd blurt out something different. Worst? Draco's cousin from France, the little bitchy blonde with the lisp and the freckle on her nose."

Draco groaned, "Theo, she's like… eleven years older than us."

"So what?"

Pansy sipped next. "Best, Regulus and Rabastan. Worst, the dragon tamer Weasley. Harland? Barkley? Chaplin?"

A cacophony of shouts sounded around the room. Only Theo didn't look surprised, instead putting a blanket over Pansy, like no one could see the hand that was visibly moving down to toy with the bottom of her dress.

"Pansy! You've fucked Draco's uncles and said nothing?" Daphne asked, looking genuinely hurt. "What's the fun in sex if you don't share with your friends?"

"You all are sick," Hermione groaned, running a hand through her hair.

"I don't even know if they remember," Pansy replied with a smirk. "This batty old elf woke me up and croaked that I was besmirching the House of Black afterwards, I've never apparated out so fast. My clothes were still there, so I guess they might remember."

Blaise smirked before taking a sip. "So sorry, all. Best, Viktor Krum. Worst, Colin Creevey."

"Krum?!" Marcus asked, eyes wide. "You… lucky."

"Mark's going to cry," Daphne giggled.

"Sorry, mate." Blaise shrugged.

"I'm more disturbed about Creevey," Theo replied. "He's like… five. Did you pay him?"

"Nah, mate. He had a girl he wanted to impress, asked if I'd teach him how to kiss. I tried, he was useless. Drooling everywhere when I told him to pucker his lips."

Hermione had to hide a laugh. This crew was incorrigible.

"My turn! I don't even know what's going to come out of my yap, honestly," Daphne beamed, taking another sip of veritaserum. "Best, Adrian. That's proper sweet of me. Worst, Ron Weasley."

The room went uncomfortably silent for a long minute before Adrian took the bottle from her.

"Best, Daph. Worst, Percy Weasley."

"Ew!" Hermione laughed. "What is with you all and the Weasleys?"

"They're easy," Draco replied. "And don't you all us, you bint. We know what you've done."

He had a point, Hermione thought to herself drunkenly.

Marcus was next. "Best, Ade. Duh. Worst, Ginny Weasley."

"You all are disgusting," Hermione replied, shaking her head.

"You're up, girl," Daphne smiled as encouragingly as she could. Hermione took a sip, already knowing what was coming and anticipating the reply. Still, her stomach sank.

"Best, Tom. Worst. Ron."

The men looked uncertain on how to handle this information without having their balls blasted off, but Daphne and Pansy shrieked and took advantage of the girl having truth serum running through her. Luna just smiled knowingly.

"Did you lose it?" Pansy asked, eyes wide and devious.

"No! Just kissing," Hermione replied quickly, her truth-laden mouth forcing her to speak again. "And rubbing."

"Rubbing," Theo replied, shaking his head wistfully. "Those were the days of innocence."

"That's so hot, Hermione!" Daphne sighed. "Was it hot?"

"He's hot," Hermione agreed, groaning and covering her face. "Have you accomplished what you want, now? I'm done!"

"No, no," Blaise replied, shaking his head. "One more question… what will you call him when he gets you in his big green bed?"

Hermione bit a pillow, unwilling to answer out loud about her fantasies of Tom Riddle's bed.

"Nope! I'm going to bed. Goodnight," Hermione replied, heading upstairs at a fast pace that had her almost toppling drunkenly off the railing. She was exhausted, anyways.

"Stella?" she called. She didn't want to be alone, but didn't want any of her friends around. She'd had enough of them for the night. Her elf friend was all she needed.

"Oh, Miss Hermione!" the elf squealed. "What is you needing?"

"Could you help me bathe?" Hermione asked, feeling tipsy enough to ask the elf for help.

Stella's eyes filled with wonder. "Mistress is calling Stella even when she has other elves here… It is her biggest honour!"

"How's papa?" Hermione asked as the elf scrubbed her curls, eyes closed and feeling comfortable enough to fall asleep.

The elf made a weird noise before replying, "Stella is not seeing him."

"Where is he?"

"Stella isn't knowing," the elf replied.

Strange.

"Will you tell him I love him?" Hermione asked, feeling oddly weepy. Were you even supposed to mix alcohol and veritaserum? Clearly not.

"Oh yes! Stella is telling him…"

The elf stayed until Hermione was tucked in bed and fast asleep, her curls dried and silky soft enough to pass Narcissa and Pansy's set of standards.

The girl fell asleep, wondering how long her raucous housemates would stay awake. Whatever they did, she was glad to be away from it. She enjoyed having friends now, certainly, but everyone had their limit. Her first game of truth or dare had been hers.

xxxxxxxxx

Hermione had always been an early riser, and knew she'd probably be the first person up. Hopefully there'd be an elf making breakfast; she'd tried to sneak into the kitchen when they first got there, but the grumpy elves who came with the mansion didn't allow her in.

Clearly, they felt no allegiance to the visitors.

Conscious of the fact that she was with some people she wasn't quite comfortable with, Hermione got dressed in sweatpants and a loose v neck instead of going downstairs in her nightgown.

"Hi, love," Luna smiled widely, walking out of the room she was sharing with Draco from across the hall. Perfect timing. The term of endearment struck Hermione as off, but she was tired enough, thankfully not hungover, to let it slide.

"Luna," Hermione smiled. "Sleep well?"

"As well as one does when they're in love and on a dream trip," Luna replied.

Blech.

"Quite," Hermione replied. What answer did one have to such an honest omission?

"I smell food," Luna replied, taking a large breath. "Do you need a hangover potion?"

"No, I'm fine," Hermione replied. "I took a bath last night and that helped."

"Good, good."

The pair sat down at the long dark wooden table where elves were already serving up large trays of food.

"Could I have some tea, please?" Hermione asked, digging into a plate of fruit and yogurt immediately.

By the time she'd finished eating, Theo and Adrian had come down.

"Oh, excuse me? Could I have the paper?" Hermione asked the elf who was pouring drinks.

"No paper here, miss," the elf replied, looking nervous.

"Really?" she replied, shocked.

"Sorry, miss," the elf replied, pulling a floppy ear harshly.

"Please don't hurt yourself, it's okay," Hermione replied. "Stella."

The elf popped in immediately, eyes filled with tears as though she knew what Hermione was going to ask.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked, turning to look at Theo accusingly.

"Why are you looking at me?" he asked evenly.

"Why is no one giving me the paper?"

"It's a week meant for relaxation, Hermione. You just left your job, you have no business reading the paper."

"You're not my father!" Hermione replied, face heating up as she tried to deal with the incredulity of the situation. Next thing she knew, her wand had slipped from her grip and flew up into the air. When had she picked up her wand?

"Sit the hell down, Granger," Pansy's voice sounded. Hermione looked up to see her looking over the railing, two wands in her hand. "Elf, you can go."

Stella popped out gratefully; since when did the elf listen to Pansy?

Hermione sat down, the rage that'd quickly filled her up at Theo trying to lord over her leaving by the time Pansy was sitting down across from her.

"No one's reading the bloody paper. We're going to go on a bleeding hike in these quaint tennis shoes I bought at a podunk muggle store to see the place from the film Luna likes. Then we are going to sit on a soft blanket and eat food from a wicker basket and drink champagne while Luna hunts for a nonexistent yeti. Okay?"

"Okay," Hermione muttered, trying to rein in her temper that too often got the best of her. It was hard to be calm when Pansy was such a bitch, though. Pansy laughed when she said as much.

"Just my job, Granger," Pansy replied, looking Hermione in the eyes.

"Isn't it Malfoy?" Marcus asked, walking down the stairs with a half asleep Daphne hanging on his back.

"She's always going to be Granger," Pansy replied as though that settled things.

By the way Theo and even Luna nodded, Hermione was pretty sure it did settle it for them.

xxxxxxxxx

"Are there any songs that all magical people know?" Hermione asked, letting out a sigh as she stared out across the gorgeous, rolling German Alps.

"What do you mean?" Daphne asked, opening her mouth for a red grape that was held between Marcus' beefy fingers.

"Like… if you were at the Leaky and a song came on that every single person knew the words to. What would it be?"

"Well, one, we wouldn't go to the Leaky," Draco smirked, drawing nods from everyone but Luna, who was off by herself plucking flowers into a basket. She had a wooden bell of sorts that she was clanging every now and then, trying to attract a yeti.

"Not the point, Draco," Hermione replied, rolling her eyes.

"I'm not sure we have one," Marcus replied. "Quidditch fans know the chants of their teams, but other than that… there's nothing."

"God Save the Queen?" Hermione asked, not shocked at the blank stares she received. "Maybe one day there will be a wizarding anthem... muggle music is nice, you know. Say what you want about them, but you'd like their music."

"Sure, Granger," Blaise replied, sounding highly doubtful.

Hermione hadn't spent much time lazing about before. Even on the weekends at Hogwarts, she got out of her claustrophobic dorm with roommates who wanted nothing to do with her and headed to the library.

But here? In the hills of Austria? She felt content to just close her eyes and breathe in the fresh air, uncaring of her friends sharing affection or going off on their own.

"We can come back tomorrow," Draco promised Luna, face softer than Hermione had ever seen. She let out a giggle, thinking of how Harry had always called him the pointiest person he'd ever seen. How wrong he'd be proven now, seeing the way Draco Malfoy's face melted into something attractive now that he was hopelessly in love.

"Where'd everyone else go?" Hermione asked as she folded up the blanket a while later. She'd fallen asleep at some point, though she didn't remember getting tired. Perhaps it was after Theo offered her a second glass of champagne?

Draco shrunk the blanket and put it in his pocket, looking around to ensure everything else was already cleaned up.

"Back to the manor for a kip," Draco replied easily, taking Luna's hand into his own.

"Could've slept out here like me," Hermione shrugged.

"You missed the most lovely family of butterflies," Luna smiled.

"Are there magical butterflies?" Hermione asked.

"No," Luna replied, shaking her head. "They were still beautiful."

Hermione smiled back at her friend, grateful to have her here in a life that now felt so abnormal. For someone as logical as herself, it felt a bit absurd to watch the progression of her life from muggleborn ward of Hogwarts to a Malfoy. It didn't make much sense, but it was her life.

The trio walked through Salzburg, and Hermione was happy to stop in little stores and buy trinkets to bring home to Narcissa and her papa. She was on the lookout for something that Tom wouldn't find silly, but found herself truly thinking that though over… is there any gift that Tom would like that didn't directly benefit him? Probably not.

"You can leave," Hermione said to Draco, drawing a soft smile that had 'you're an idiot' written all over it. "Yes? Do you have a problem?"

"I'm not leaving you two alone in a foreign country," Draco replied with an eye roll.

"Sweet boy," Luna replied with a nod, dragging Hermione into the small antiques shop that was unoccupied outside of the owner. It was exactly the type of place Hermione expected to find something magical.

"Powerful," the old, wrinkly man at the cashier stand said. "Very powerful…."

He handed a vial of what seemed to be water over to Luna, which she took with a solemn nod as though she knew exactly what it was.

"Melted ice, from Eisriesenwelt, before trafficked by tourists," the man explained.

"Thank you, sir," Luna replied. "You wouldn't happen to have…"

The man cut her off, holding a decrepit cardboard box up towards her. "My late wife, she said I would know when…"

Hermione was confused at the way Luna's eyes lit up.

"This is far too much, sir. You don't want to keep any for yourself?"

"I have no use, no powers… do good, take it and do good."

Luna smiled, bowing at the man like he was a foreign dignitary.

"Draco, love," Luna called, bringing the man over to them. His wand was obviously held in his hand, and it took everything in Hermione not to reprimand him.

She reached a sly hand into his trouser pocket, pulling a large wad of bills out of the leather wallet he was carrying around the muggle city.

"Too much, too much!" the old man replied.

"It's yours," Luna replied. "Magic will bless you and those you love, sir. Keep an eye on your granddaughter, she'll be 11 soon."

"My Hilde," the man replied, eyes bulging wide, proud.

"Send her to Hogwarts," Luna replied, flipping the bird to the Statute of Secrecy before walking out of the store.

"What was that?" Hermione asked.

"There's magic everywhere," Luna replied. "Don't you know, the hills are alive?"

xxxxxxxxx

The sweetness and mystery of the moment died as soon as they got back to the mansion.

"Where have you been?" Pansy shrieked, eyes wide.

"Shopping," Hermione replied, confused.

"You were supposed to be back an hour ago!" the girl replied, stomping up to Draco and slapping her chest. Not even Luna attempted to stop her.

"We got sidetracked, it's fine," Draco replied easily.

"It's not," Pansy replied, shaking her head.

Theo skid into the room on socked feet in a way that wouldn't look out of place in a sitcom opening.

"Oh, thank fuck." Theo sighed, before turning and walking right back out of the room.

Hermione walked further into the manor, unwilling to be a part of whatever cat fight Pansy was trying to start with the newly-arrived trio.

"You can go, we're fine," she heard Theo say. For better or for worse, the manor was airy and voices echoed. In this case, when things felt weird, Hermione was grateful for it and moved quickly towards the noise.

She walked into a sitting room to see Theo, Blaise, Daphne, Marcus and Adrian speaking with Corban Yaxley, Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange, and Regulus Black. They all looked far more serious than she'd seen.

"What… when did you get here? Hermione asked. "Is everything all right?"

"Hi dear," Bellatrix smiled, moving to press kisses on Hermione's cheeks like they were meeting for tea. "Your friends thought you'd gone missing when you didn't return on time."

"And called the head of DMLE and members of the Wizengamot?" she asked slowly, noticing how her friends averted their eyes.

"You're family, love," Bellatrix replied sweetly. Too sweetly, in the same way she knew Narcissa to do when she wanted to get out of something that Lucius was holding her to.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked.

"We have to go," Yaxley replied, looking as unaffected as ever.

"Enjoy your little trip, kiddies," Rodolphus said with the tip of his head.

"Hermione, good to see you," Regulus spoke up, stepping into the fire first and calling out the Ministry with his wand held tightly in hand. Everyone else did the same.

Once they were all gone, Hermione looked back to see that a slightly nervous looking Draco and Luna had entered the sitting room that now felt much too small with all of them together.

"What's going on?" Hermione repeated.

"We thought you lot had been eaten by a yeti or some shit," Blaise replied. "Can we eat dinner now?"

"Are we still going to the place with Bosna?" Marcus asked, drawing an audible groan.

"No, idiot, we're getting pizzas delivered," Theo replied impatiently.

"Pizza?" Hermione asked with a frown. "Why?"

"Most people haven't tried it, thought it could be fun," Theo shrugged.

"I'd like to go out for dinner," Hermione replied. She was normally one to go with the flow, but on her first trip to Austria, she was going to enjoy the city.

Hermione did an about face, leaving the stifling atmosphere of the office to get dressed.

She didn't call Stella this time, though her curls were atrocious. That's what ponytails were for, though, right? Taking the time to breathe and decompress after 24 hours spent with people who depleted her energy reserves, Hermione got dressed and ready for a nice dinner out. Now that it wasn't the full group going, she felt less bad suggesting one of the higher-end restaurants with authentic Austrian food that she'd walked by during their trip out today.

Hermione headed downstairs when she realized no one was getting ready in the rooms after she knocked. Was she really the last one ready?

No, she discovered. No one else was dressed.

"Really? No one's going with me?" Hermione asked, crossing her arms over her chest and trying not to get cross.

"We're tired," Daphne pouted, lying across both of her betrothed's laps as though to prove her point. Everyone else nodded.

Hermione lost it.

"I'll go by myself," she replied tightly, tucking her wand into the hidden pocket of her slinky green dress. "I'm glad all of you are having fun here, I hope you enjoy your night doing exactly what you'd do if you were back in bloody England!"

She made to storm out, only to have her arm grabbed gently by Pansy, who looked far more serious than Hermione had ever seen.

"Hermione," Pansy said slowly. "You can't leave."

"Why not?"

"You just can't," Pansy replied. "Can you please trust us?"

Hermione weighed her options mentally. Did she lose her shit in hopes that someone would tell her what was going on or did she just ask what on earth was gong on and trust that they'd tell her?

Trying to be mature, she took the second round. The girl sat down primly and simply asked.

"What is going on? I'm trying to keep a cool head, but I seem to be left out of whatever is going on."

They all looked to Pansy, who was clearly the ringleader of whatever charade was ongoing.

"Shacklebolt lost it after the muggleborn bill went to shit and his approval plummeted. He... he went to Hogwarts and killed Dumbledore… the wards at the castle are down. The Ministry has fallen. Tom is attempting to seize control of the government from him and restore order. No one is safe."

And like that, Hermione thought, another piece of Tom's perfectly constructed puzzle had been slotted in neatly while she sat on the sidelines, completely unaware.