7 years later

Hermione Granger

"Ugh, do I really have to go?" Hermione knew she sounded like a whining child, but the situation definitely warranted it. Padma had been trying to convince her for weeks to attend the Ministry's Annual Hallowe'en Gala. The last time she had celebrated Hallowe'en had been while she was still at Hogwarts. "You're only here for two more days. Tell me again why one of them has to be spent surrounded by strangers?"

"Because I want to get dressed up all fancy with my best friend before I'm back stuck in the desert with only rocks and runes for company." Padma levitated a chair in front of Hermione's bathroom mirror before pushing her into. "And besides, it won't be all strangers. I've heard quite a few people from our year are going. Like a reunion of sorts." Padma used her wand to loosen the tight curls around her head.

"Oh, so not actual strangers, just people I wish were." The sharp tug of a wand yanked Hermione's head back. She met Padma's raised brow in the mirror and stuck her tongue out in response.

"Oh come now, it won't be so bad. Anthony and Neville will be there." Anthony Goldstein had been in Ravenclaw, too. In their fifth year, he fancied himself in love with Padma. After weeks and weeks of him joining them in the library, the common room, and the Great Hall, he finally told her how he felt. Only for Padma to tell him she doesn't exactly like boys. This left Anthony with a rather shocked expression before he quickly recovered with a shake of the head and a louder than necessary 'Well then'. He had avoided them both for a week or so before he returned with a timid smile, asking if they could still be friends. Both girls had easily agreed, as they had rather enjoyed his company. So the two soon became three.

While Hermione had been friendly with Neville Longbottom since their first Hogwarts Express ride, it was only after Anthony had joined their little group that he felt comfortable enough to approach the group. Having known Padma since childhood and after being often paired with Anthony in Herbology, the group readily accepted Neville into their fold.

The Hufflepuff would later tell the two girls that he had been rather intimidated by them. They had both scoffed and shot a look at each other before they had busted out laughing before agreeing they might appear a bit discouraging to new people.

The four of them had been close friends ever since. Mentioning the two boys caused Hermione to drop her head back with a groan.

"Merlin, now I really have to go." She shot a pointed look in the mirror. "You could've mentioned that before."

Theo Nott

After spending months purging his family home of the more sinister dark artifacts his father had kept lying around, Theo had thought he would finally have a moment of rest. Unfortunately, it seemed the fates were working against him. Not only had Blaise been hounding him about a Hallowe'en gala hosted by the Ministry, but the Catapults were still waiting for his response. A pile of letters laid unopened on his desk. He thought he even spotted a few written in Draco's handwriting. He picked one at random. His floo sounded before he had a chance to read its contents. He recognized the heavy footsteps but was still shocked when Blaise appeared in his doorway.

"You're wearing that? Really? I know you've exiled yourself to this dreary ass manor, but I'm sure you still know how to dress in a civilized society?" He grimaced as he looked Theo up and down.

"Considering my not leaving my 'dreary ass manor', I think I'm dressed just fine," Theo replied as he leaned back in his chair and propped his feet on the edge of his desk. Blaise gave him an unimpressed look before he made his way across the room and started rifling through Theo's mail.

"Ahh, I see you have gotten my letters then." Theo looked abashed. He caught Blaise's gaze, but the other man quickly looked away. "Well, since you haven't opened them, it's a good thing I showed up then."

Theo took a good look at the man before him. Blaise had always been the easy-going one in their group. Always cracking jokes and ready to roll with the punches. He had been the glue that held the three Slytherins together. Theo knew Blaise had been disappointed when Draco hadn't joined the Reserve League. It had been even worse when they both were recruited for different teams. In the beginning, they had seen each other often celebrating wins and losses together. But as time went on, they had all started to see each other less and less. By the looks of it, Blaise felt the loss harder than the others.

"The floo's open if you want to call Draco." Blaise arched a brow in question. Theo dropped his feet to the floor and made his way across the room. When Blaise's brow still hadn't dropped, Theo looked back at him and rolled his eyes. "I guess I have to get dressed appropriately for a civilized society," Theo smirked as he heard a chuckle after he left the room.

Hermione Granger

Hermione was stepping through the floo in a dress she thought too tight, but that Padma had said hugged her in all the right places, and more beauty charms applied than she thought necessary.

She stepped away from the grate, pulling any loose dust away as she did. She quickly scanned the venue as she waited for Padma to come through. It appeared more laid back than the few Ministry organized events she had attended in the past. Less highbrow gala, more crowded cocktail party.

It was only after she caught sight of Pansy Parkinson that she felt a weight drop in her stomach. She hadn't realized she had fallen into a frown until Padma showed up at her side.

"What? Has something happened already? We haven't even been here for five minutes." Hermione quickly schooled her expression and looked away from Parkinson. She had been one of Draco Malfoy's girlfriends at Hogwarts. She had also tried to hex her more than once in empty corridors.

"You don't think any of the Slytherin boys will be here tonight, do you?" Hermione had done her best to forget about the three boys who had been relentless in taunting and torturing her at Hogwarts. "You had said you knew a few people from our year would be here?" Padma quickly looked away, but Hermione had caught the small grimace. Hermione scoffed. "Really, Padma?"

Hermione started to make her way back towards the floo before Padma grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Now really, Hermione, it's been five years. I'm sure all of you can exist in the same space without antagonizing each other." Hermione let out a huff before pulling her arm free and crossing it over her chest. "Besides, this place is crowded. You probably won't even see them."

Hermione could only hope.