Chapter 5

September faded into October. The weather cooled and the whomping willow's leaves turned orange. Hermione's dreams continued to wake her throughout the night and exhaustion was taking its toll. She struggled to keep up with her schoolwork and had very little contact with her fellow Gryffindors. It caught her by surprise when Ginny spoke to her across the dormitory before bed.

"There's a trip to Hogsmeade tomorrow… I was thinking you, Luna, and I could make a day out of it. You don't need to decide right now. But in the morning meet us in the hall for breakfast if you'd like to come."

She couldn't avoid life forever. She knew that eventually she would have to rejoin society, and when that day came, it would be much easier if she hadn't lost all of her friends. So, Hermione downed the sleeping potion from Draco, and hoped that it would provide her with enough energy in the morning to go out with the girls.

When she woke, she wasn't entirely rested, but she also wasn't completely exhausted. She would consider this a win. Quickly, she changed into a pair of jeans and a purple jumper. Ginny's face lit up when she saw Hermione walk into the great hall.

"So glad you decided to come!"

Hermione forced a smile and replied, "this should be fun."

The three of them walked out of the castle towards Hogsmeade. The fresh air filled her lungs and gave Hermione hope that today would be slightly better than the ones before. She was actually looking forward to getting away from the castle for a bit.

They stopped in at Honeydukes and Zonko's, which was now owned by George. Afterwards, they decided to take a break at the Three Broomsticks. Ginny ordered them three butterbeers and they found a booth near the back of the pub.

As Ginny brought over the butterbeers, she smiled and said, "so Luna, how's everything with Neville been?"

"Marvellous! He's agreed to bring his Gran over to mine for Christmas, should be quite fun. What about you and Harry?"

Ginny blushed, "perfect, he's officially asked me to the dance, not that I need a formal invitation. Should be quite fun I reckon. Will you be coming Hermione?"

"I'd completely forgotten about the Halloween ball if I'm honest."

"Well, you have to come! It's your last year," Luna added.

"I guess… but I won't have anyone to go with. Me and Ron aren't really together anymore I assume. We haven't spoken in weeks."

"He was pretty hurt I reckon. I don't think he's mad at you, but I also wouldn't expect him to ask you to a ball anytime soon. Who said you even need a date though? Plenty of people are going just with friends," Ginny encouraged.

Ginny wasn't taking no for an answer. Within minutes, they were headed out of the pub towards Gladrags Wizardwear to find a suitable dress for the event. After trying on at least a dozen options, Hermione finally found one they all agreed was perfect.

By the time they returned home, Hermione was wiped out but pleasantly surprised by how her day had turned out. She decided she would skip dinner in the hall and try and get rest while she could, hoping the good mood would carry through the night.

The remainder of October rushed by and before she knew it, Hermione was preparing for the ball. She tamed her wild hair with a generous amount of Sleekeazy hair potion and added a beauty incantation for good measure. This routine felt oddly similar to the fourth-year yule ball, only this time she wasn't trying to make Ron jealous. This time, she was oddly content that Ron was not her date. She actually hoped that he would have a good time without her.

As she made her way down the stairs of the foyer, eyes turned to her. Hermione was always gorgeous, even without the extra time spent getting ready. However, the ball had a special way of making people notice her. Her dress was soft blue with a corset top. It flowed gently down the length of her leg with glistening sparkles enchanted to appear as she moved. She had looked pretty at the yule ball, but tonight, she was stunning.

She spotted Ginny near the bottom of the stairs in a blush nude coloured gown with flowy sleaves. Her red hair was curled softly, and she was wearing a bracelet Harry bought her a few months prior. Beside her was Luna, in a pink dress with blue and purple stars across it. The sleeves of the dress flowed gently as she moved her arms. On top of her head was a crown-like contraption that she had clearly created herself. Both of them looked beautiful in their own unique way.

As Hermione made her way down the steps, she couldn't help but notice the huddle of Slytherins across the room looking over at her. Pansy, who was wearing a silk green gown with long sleeves and a deep V-neck, rolled her eyes and began to say something to the others. Hermione was never good at reading lips, but thought she saw her say the word mudblood. Immediately she felt self-conscious and regretted her choice of dress. There was nothing to cover the scar across her arm. She felt naked.

All of the Slytherins, except for one, laughed at Pansy's remark. Draco had ignored the comment and continued to look at Hermione. When their eyes met, he gave a subtle smirk and returned his attention to the Slytherins. It was a small gesture, but it was enough to make Hermione forget the scar.

She entered the great hall alongside her fellow Gryffindors. As usual, the Halloween decorations were extravagant. Jack-O-lanterns floated above the crowd, smoke covered the floor, and the black sky above contained the most magnificent full moon.

Hermione headed towards the refreshments, knowing she would need at least a few butterbeers to get her through the evening. At the table were four large punch bowls enchanted to never empty. The first contained butterbeer, charmed to shine a brighter yellow than normal. The second was a wizard's brew, that in certain lights appeared a beautiful royal blue. The third was the bowl to represent Gryffindor, containing firewhiskey that glowed hot red. And in the Slytherin bowl was an unknown green liquid.

Hermione grabbed the ladle and began to scoop the red liquid.

"That probably won't do the trick. Slytherin specially made this one… let's just say its slightly stronger than the teacher prepared drinks."

She looked up to see Blaise Zabini across the table smirking. He was wearing a deep green suit with a black shirt unbuttoned at the top to show off part of his chest. The Slytherin code of conduct clearly forbid them from deviating from house colours.

"It's firewhiskey. I'm sure it will do the trick," Hermione responded.

"You really think the teachers are going to supply a bunch of teens with real firewhiskey? God Granger, I thought you were smart. It might taste like it and burn like it, but I'll assure you it won't do the trick. But if you're too scared to associate yourself with green, be my guest and have the baby stuff."

His logic did make sense, and thinking back, she had never gotten drunk at an official Hogwarts event before. Hermione reached her glass across the table and allowed Blaise to pour the green liquid into her cup. She wondered how the Slytherins had managed to get it past the staff and why Blaise was being kind enough to offer her some.

"Bottoms up," he added before raising a toast and downing the entire contents in one go. Hermione followed suit, not wanting to carry the green liquid around with her. She was scared a fellow Gryffindor would view it as treason.

She made her way to the dance floor, where Ginny and Luna were holding hands and spinning. They welcomed her in with open arms, and Hermione began to have the first fun she had had all year.

She spotted Ron across the room awkwardly dancing with the sixth year Hufflepuff she didn't know the name of. His smile was big, and it made Hermione happy to know she wasn't holding him back. She loved him too much to do that.

The drink Zabini had provided started to kick in faster than expected. Her legs felt weaker, her mind less clear, and she had to fight to keep her eyes focused. The intoxication was just what she craved to avoid her pain. But slowly, things began to change. It was not the floating sensation she usually felt from butterbeer. Instead, her heart began to race, her breath became rapid and shallow, and the pit in her stomach grew.

Attempting to seem casual, she wandered away from the group and out of the great hall. In the foyer she attempted to regain her composure, but with no success, the panic just intensified. She jumped as a voice spoke beside her.

"Don't tell me you were stupid enough to fall for that Granger."

The voice belonged to Draco Malfoy. He seemed rather pleased with the fact that he had managed to spook her.

"Seriously Granger, do you need someone to babysit you at all times?"

"Fall… for…what," Hermione questioned between breaths.

"Zabini's drink. When has a Slytherin ever offered something to a Gryffindor?"

She fought her gasping to say, "There was something in it?"

"An anxiety potion I assume. Now Theo and Pansy owe him a galleon each."

A confused look went across Hermione's face and Draco responded to it by saying, "Pansy made a bet, I believe her exact words were 'whoever ruins the mudblood's night first, without getting caught, wins'"

His tone was mimicking Pansy's voice.

"I reckon she did it out of jealousy. Couldn't have someone at the ball looking better than her."

The compliment caught Hermione off guard. She decided to ignore it and proceeded to try to calm the anxiety. Draco began to walk towards the stairs leading to the dungeons. Before going out of sight he called, "come on Granger, you'll need a remedy."

Unsure if she should trust him, but not willing to re-enter the ball in this state to find Ginny, she followed him reluctantly. She struggled to keep up with him in her anxious state, but ahead she could hear him saying alohomora. She found him in an empty potions classroom, going through cupboards to find ingredients.

She tried to focus on what he was brewing to know if it would help or not, but her state of panic made it extremely difficult. Eventually, he handed her a blue liquid that smelled of lavender and peppermint. She chose to trust him and drank the entire contents of the glass quickly. Immediately she felt relief. As her brain restored to its natural state, she noticed he had added slightly too much peppermint oil to the calming draught, causing her throat to have a slight burning sensation. But still, she was glad for his help.

"Thank you."

"Like I said before, you deserve a little peace after everything."

It was quiet in the classroom for a minute before he spoke again, "how did he manage to get you to drink it anyways?"

"He told me the other drinks were teacher made… nothing to take the edge away"

"Well, he's not wrong about that. He must have slipped the potion into your glass as he poured it. I'm surprised you weren't more suspicious."

"I guess I was just desperate to have something with a little more strength than normal."

Draco crossed the room to her and held out a silver flask with the Malfoy crest carved on the front.

"Here, I promise it's not dangerous"

To prove it, Draco took a sip before handing it to Hermione. She then took the flask and felt the burning sensation flow down her throat. The warmth in her stomach would soon seep into her blood to cause the desired effects. She returned the flask to Draco, and he took another sip. He remained closer to her than normal. The odd pair sat in the classroom for several minutes taking turns drinking from the flask until it was empty.

"Shouldn't you be returning to the party? I'm sure the golden boy and his Weasley girlfriend are looking for you."

Draco still was only inches away from Hermione

"They probably expected me to leave early," she admitted. "Anyways, I don't really feel like going back. What about you? Wont Slytherin be wondering where you are?"

"I'd assume they left the ball right after you. Not much to do after they had their fun. Honestly, most of them only went because Pansy wanted to dress up. The true party will be happening in the Slytherin common room by now. I'll probably head there soon."

Part of Hermione wondered what a Slytherin party would be like. She doubted it was anything like the ones held in the Gryffindor common room. Gryffindor parties were warm and welcoming. People would sing together, share drinks, and laugh about old times. She had remembered one party where Fred and George set fireworks off in the common room to celebrate a quidditch match win. It was common for people to invite members from other houses to join the fun. Luna, despite being a Ravenclaw, was almost always in attendance. However, Slytherin parties were much more elite. Hermione had never heard of a non-Slytherin being invited. It made her wondered if Harry and Ron were the only people from Gryffindor ever to enter the Slytherin common room. Although, that was not due to being invited. Rather, they had taken Polyjuice potion to mimic Crabbe and Goyle.

Cutting off her train of thought, she heard the last thing she ever expected to hear Draco ask, "would you want to come with me?"