Disclaimer: these characters are not mine – they belong to JK Rowling
AN: Im glad you all are still enjoying this! We're getting closer to the ball where lots of stuff is about to go down! dun dun dun! Please leave me a review! xo
~~{0}~~
"Dorea?" Hermione asked when she saw the Slytherin sitting on her bed, trying to wipe away a few stray tears.
She put on a fake smile, trying to hide the fact that she'd been crying, though not quickly enough for Hermione to not notice.
"Is…everything okay?" Hermione asked hesitantly. She didn't want to pry, but Dorea had been there for her when she needed it, and she wanted to return the favor.
Dorea sighed, "You'd think I'd be used to it by now. I just heard that Cygnus asked Evelyn Greengrass to the ball." She said giving Hermione a sad smile.
Hermione nodded in understanding. Even though Dorea was already going with Harry, it still hurt that Cygnus was taking someone else, even if she was expecting it.
"Well, we'll just have to make sure that we look stunning then." Hermione said giving Dorea a small conspiratorial smile.
Dorea looked up at Hermione, catching on to her line of thought, "Have you found a dress yet, then?"
"Not yet, I was hoping that maybe we could pop into the dress shop in Hogsmeade this afternoon? If you would like to, I mean." She said biting her lip hopefully.
"That sounds great. I still haven't found a dress yet either. So I am guessing that Orion asked you?" Dorea said giving Hermione a knowing look.
"Yes he did. I thought at first that he was just asking me to get back at Tom for something, but now…I don't know." Hermione said sheepishly.
"Well, you are pretty, Hermione, he'd be a moron not to notice." Dorea said chuckling.
Hermione laughed, "That's not…I mean…I feel sort of bad though. As angry as I am at Tom, I still…" Hermione trailed off sighing.
"Hermione, you're a terrible Slytherin." Dorea said laughing.
Hermione rolled her eyes, "I can't help it if I have a conscience." She said with a smirk.
Dorea raised an eyebrow, and she fought the small smile that tried to come to her lips.
"Orion said to meet him in the entrance hall around ten, How about you and Harry meet there too, and we can all go together?" Hermione suggested, "That way, we can ditch the guys for a bit to do some shopping then meet up with them in the Three Broomsticks for lunch."
Dorea nodded, checking her face in the mirror to make sure her eyes didn't look red and puffy from crying, and then hopped up from her bed.
"Let's go grab some breakfast then before Abraxas eats it all, shall we?" Dorea said looping her arm through Hermione's.
~~{0}~~
Hermione slid into her seat across from Harry along with Dorea, and she noted Harry's gaze was over on the Gryffindor table. Fleamont was seated across from Effy, and he was blushing at something she said.
"I told you it would work." Hermione said smirking.
Harry turned his attention back to Hermione and Dorea, and gave Hermione a relieved smile.
"Why did you want to get rid of Effy so badly anyway? Not that I'm complaining, mind." Dorea asked as she buttered a piece of toast.
Harry looked up at Hermione trying to come up with an excuse, and blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"She um…she wasn't a very good kisser." Harry said sheepishly. And grunted when he felt Hermione stomp on his foot under the table.
"Oh…I see. I suppose if there is no chemistry, there's no chemistry, I guess." She said shrugging, and went back to buttering her toast.
Hermione looked up as Isadora sauntered into the Great Hall, making a bee line towards the Slytherin table where Tom was seated at the end, next to Abraxas. Hermione rolled her eyes. It was obvious to her now that she looked, how little interest Tom had in her, but the girl was so pathetic, she refused to see it.
Orion entered a few moments later and strolled confidently up to the Slytherin table, smirking at Hermione, and taking a seat next to Harry. He winked at Hermione, and turned politely towards Harry thrusting his hand towards him with a warm smile.
"Orion Black. You must be Harry." He said politely.
Harry took his hand and shook it, realizing that this man was Sirius' father. As much as he disliked the wailing portrait of Mrs. Black, Sirius had never really talked much about his father. He could see the resemblance though, they had the same blue eyes and dark wavy hair.
"It's nice to finally meet you. I hear you're taking my sister to the ball?" he asked giving him a raised eyebrow. He heard Hermione sigh across the table, and ignored her deciding that it was his duty to give him the third degree as her best friend and fake brother.
"Yeah, that's right, surprisingly, she said yes." Orion said meeting Harry's eyes smiling as he scooped some eggs onto his plate and a few strips of bacon.
"So you like her then?" Harry asked picking up his coffee and taking a sip, keeping his eyes trained on the wizard sitting next to him.
"You don't have to answer that." Hermione said in mortification. Harry didn't even grill Riddle like this.
Orion smirked at Hermione, and winked at her again, before he looked back at Harry evenly, "I do, she's quite enchanting."
"Oh…well that's good then, I guess." Harry said uncomfortably as his eyes shifted from Orion to Hermione. Truthfully, he wasn't expecting him to answer, or for him to be so…smooth.
"Harry, I was thinking; you both should join Orion and I in Hogsmeade today. Dorea and I still need to get dresses for the ball, and we could all meet back up for lunch at the Three Broomsticks. What do you think?" Hermione suggested, flicking her gaze towards Orion to gauge his reaction.
"I think that sounds like a good plan; I'd like to get to know the man who wasn't afraid to put Riddle in his place." Orion said grinning at Harry.
Harry bit back a smirk, happy to know he wasn't the only one who didn't like Riddle at Hogwart's.
Hermione couldn't help flick her gaze towards Tom at the mention of his name, and wanted to growl when she saw Isadora practically draping herself over him at the table. She took a small measure of satisfaction seeing how Tom blatantly ignored her as he chatted with Abraxas and Cygnus.
"Isn't that right Hermione?" Orion said, shaking her out of her thoughts.
"I'm sorry, what?" she asked in embarrassment, after she had clearly not heard a thing he'd said
"I said that at some point I'm going to get you up in the air on a broom." Orion repeated.
"Oh…I suppose, as long as you promise to go slow." She said looking down at her plate guiltily.
~~{0}~~
At ten, they met in the entrance hall as planned, and Orion held out his arm for Hermione to take. Dorea looped hers through Harry's and laid her head against his shoulder for good measure in case Cygnus was nearby.
Their first stop in Hogsmeade was Zonko's, where Harry and Orion agreed to hang out while the girls went to the dress shop across the street to see what they could find.
Hermione opened the door, hearing the tinkling of the bell as she stepped in, and was greeted by a tall witch who had a warm smile.
"Looking for a dress for the ball, dears?" the witch called out as she met them at the door.
Hermione nodded her head and smiled, and the woman gestured for them to follow her.
"I have a few up here, but I just got a new shipment in just this morning here in the back room. Some of them straight from Paris!" the witch said with excitement.
Dorea looked at Hermione smiling and raising her eyebrows, before she grabbed Hermione's arm and pulled her along.
Both girls headed over to the racks, and it didn't take long before Hermione heard Dorea gasp and looked over at her to see what the fuss was about.
Dorea pulled a gown off the rack and clutched it to her chest theatrically, "Oh my god, this is it…Cygnus will absolutely die when he seems me in this." Dorea said as she walked over to the mirror holding the dress up against her chest. It was a red satin floor length gown, that had thin straps and was fitted through the bodice down to where it flared out slightly below the knee.
"How Gryffindor of you." Hermione snorted, "It is really pretty though."
Dorea didn't seem to care that the gown was Gryffindor red, she was more focused on how sexy she would look in it.
Hermione looked back down, and her hand landed on a black strapless gown that was fitted through the bodice, and flared slightly at the hip, falling to her knees. It was simple, elegant, and the classic 'little black dress'. She picked it up off the rack and walked over to the other mirror.
"What do you think of this one?" she asked Dorea.
Dorea looked over at her and smiled, "Yes, absolutely. With the right hairstyle, and lipstick, Tom won't be able to take his eyes off of you."
Hermione snickered. "You forget, I am going to the ball with Orion."
"I haven't forgotten," Dorea said giving Hermione an impish smile, "But, Orion on the other hand…I think he really likes you. You never know, he might just make you forget all about Riddle." Dorea smirked at Hermione wickedly, "I should know, I dated his brother."
"Well, I'll keep that in mind." Hermione said smiling to herself as she took the dress in the fitting rooms.
A few moments later, they heard the older witch's voice again, "How is going, dears? Did you need any assistance with a fitting charm?"
"Actually, I do." Hermione heard Dorea call from behind the curtain, "It's a little long."
Hermione's dress, thankfully fit her like a glove, as if it was meant for her.
After Dorea's dress was adjusted, Hermione waited for her so they could make their purchases.
"Did you need shoes, or any other accessories? We have shoes over there on the right, and towards the back we have hair clips, clutches, and jewelry." The woman offered helpfully.
Hermione and Dorea both took another look around, and they both found a pair or matching heels, and Hermione found a beautiful emerald green silk wrap to compliment her dress along with a few small rhinestone hair pins and an emerald pendant on a small silver chain.
They took their purchases and headed over to the Three Broomsticks to meet Harry and Orion for lunch.
"You finally decided to join us, then?" Orion teased as Hermione slid into the booth next to him, and Dorea slid into the other side next to Harry.
"Trust me, that dress was worth it." Dorea said smirking at Hermione over the butterbeers that the boys had ordered for them.
"Oh? Can I see it then?" Orion said making an effort to peek into her bag.
Hermione smacked his arm playfully, "Don't you dare! You're not allowed to see it until the ball." She said laughing.
He rolled his eyes, looking at her over his glass, "That old tradition? Really, it's not as if we're getting married…yet." He said and Hermione promptly choked on her butterbeer.
Harry snorted and pretended to cough when Orion looked at him with his eyebrow raised.
Harry looked over at Dorea and smiled, "And what about you, did you find anything?" he asked, even though he knew she must have judging by the bags she carried.
"Yes, actually, and I'm quite sure that when you see it, you won't be able to keep your hands off me." She said smirking at him. Harry's face promptly turned as red as her dress.
After they ate, they stopped into Honeydukes. Orion asked what sort of sweets Hermione liked, and then went off to look around, leaving Hermione to browse on her own. She was intently looking at the chocolate truffles in the display case when she backed up and collided with a solid body. She turned around quickly, apologizing, when her eyes locked with Tom's.
"Hermione." He said not willing to tear his eyes from hers.
"Tom." She said evenly, getting annoyed with herself when she felt her stomach flutter nervously.
Hermione could see his jaw tighten as his gaze flicked over to where Orion was standing, "So what, is he next? Are you going to take him into the restricted section too? Let him bend you over a desk…"
Whatever he was going to say next was lost as Hermione's hand darted out and slapped him hard across the face. The sound of her palm connecting with his cheek echoed across the aisle. His hand moved to his cheek reflexively, and his eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Hermione moved closer to him and whispered icily, "Who I fuck is none of your concern anymore, Tom, I'm just a mudblood whore, remember?"
She saw a flicker of pain in Tom's eyes at her words, and she felt her throat tighten, as she stepped back from him. His mouth parted, just as he was about to say something when Orion stepped around the corner and slid his arm around Hermione's waist possessively.
"Is he bothering you, Hermione?" Orion asked as he sneered at Tom.
"No, of course not. I…" Hermione began before she was interrupted.
"This doesn't concern you, Black." Tom sneered, taking a step towards Orion.
Orion glanced down to where his hand was resting on Hermione's hip, and gave it a squeeze, "On the contrary, Riddle, anything that concerns my girlfriend, concerns me."
Hermione's mouth dropped open in shock. Since when had she agreed to be Orion's girlfriend? Going to a dance, and to Hogsmeade one time did not mean they were in a relationship. It turned her stomach to think that Orion was using her just to take a jab at Tom.
Before either of them got another word out, she pried Orion's fingers from her hip angrily, "Both of you can piss off!" she spat before she stormed off.
Tom made to go after Hermione, but Orion shoved him before going after her himself.
"Hermione, wait." He called after her as she stepped out of the store.
She rounded on him as soon as he stepped outside, "How could you use me like that?" she asked him crossing her arms over her chest angrily.
"Look, Hermione, I know I shouldn't have, but Riddle had it coming. It looked like whatever he said to you was upsetting you, and I wanted to help. Why are you defending him anyway?" Orion accused.
"I don't need you to fight my battles for me, and I'm not defending him." Hermione said, still annoyed.
Orion gave her a small smile, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I know I shouldn't have said it, but the way he was acting, as if he had some kind of a claim on you, made me angry. Honestly, I was a little bit jealous." He said, pulling her towards him as she bit back a smirk.
He nuzzled his lips against her cheek, catching the strawberry scent of her hair.
Hermione took a breath, and tilted her face up just slightly, enough so that he could brush his lips against hers. Her eyes slipped shut, and when she felt his tongue trace her bottom lip, she opened her mouth allowing him to kiss her more deeply. He was a good kisser, which hadn't surprised her at all.
It was in this position a moment later, that Tom saw them as he stepped out of Honeydukes with Isadora, and his eyes narrowed.
Orion broke the kiss, and smirked at Tom over her shoulder before Tom turned away and strode off angrily, with Isadora following along behind him like a lost puppy. Hermione's eyes fluttered open, and his eyes flicked back to hers, "Now, let me buy you some chocolate, and we can get out of here." He said as he brushed his hand over her cheek.