The Effect of Alcohol

"I'm sorry. Let's what?" Malfoy repeated. The shock on his face was priceless; if he was expecting Hermione to say anything, it certainly wasn't that.

Hermione giggled. "You're so stupid, Draco!" She laughed, punching him in the arm rather harder then she probably intended while still pinning him to the couch. "I said, let's have sex! You know, it's that little thing when two people get together and sexually-"

"I know what sex is!" Malfoy cried, interrupting Hermione's definition. "Okay, let's discuss this rationally. Get off me."

"No." Hermione's giggling became more pronounced than ever.

"Granger, get off of me." Malfoy repeated.

"You're going to have to make me!" Hermione teased, still giggling ecstatically. "Come on, Draco! I know you're in love with me and that you've wanted to do it since forever. Here's your chance!"

"Don't flatter yourself." Malfoy said, gently pushing Hermione off of him. After a small struggle, he finally managed.

"You're no fun!" Hermione cried. "You're just as boring as Harry!"

That caught Malfoy's attention. "Excuse me? Just as boring as whom?"

"Harry. Harry Potter. You don't know Harry? He's only the most famous person in the world." Hermione explained.

"I know who Harry Pothead is!" Malfoy snarled, defensively.

"Ha!" Hermione laughed. She clutched her ribs and continued to laugh endlessly. Tears began to pour out of her eyes. "I know you do!" She screeched. "That's the point! You see, I know you know who Harry is and you know you know who Harry is but I pretended that I didn't know you knew who Harry is and you fell for it! Ha!" She slipped to the floor and curled up into a little ball, trying (without success) to suppress her laughter.

Malfoy was at a loss for words. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. This must be the reason why she doesn't drink, he told himself.

"Okay Granger, you're going to go to sleep. I'm going to go to sleep. We are going to see each other in the morning and I can almost guarantee you that you're probably not going to have any recollection of what went on tonight, so if you'll-"

"Oh Malfoy, I love you!" Hermione shrieked. She picked herself up off of the floor and lunged at him, once again knocking him over onto the couch. She unsurprisingly kissed him passionately, forcing her tongue into his mouth the same way she had done to Ace only minutes before. Suddenly, without warning, Hermione took hold of the front of Malfoy's button down shirt and ripped it open, revealing a gorgeous, sexy chest that she would have died for had she not been drunk.

"Come on, Draco! Take my dress off!" Hermione pressed.

"Shit, Hermione!" Malfoy exclaimed. "We're not going to-"

"Okay, fine." Hermione said. She reached her hands to the back of her neck and began untying the dress. Once the knot came free, the straps fell, revealing her breasts to Malfoy. He looked away instantly. Hermione sighed, giggled, then grabbed his face and forced him to look at her. "Their all yours, Draco." She said, continuing to giggle. She kissed him again, but this time he kissed back. Yay, I'm breaking him! Hermione cried to herself.

"Hermione!"

Hermione and Malfoy both whipped their heads around in time to see Harry standing in the entrance of the portrait hole.

"How'd you get in here!" Malfoy demanded.

"I have influence!" Harry answered, as though Malfoy were completely insane for asking that question at the moment. "What the hell is going on here!" he cried, trying so hard to avoid making eye contact with Hermione and instead focusing all of his attention upon Malfoy. Hermione began half-dressing herself.

"Ace spiked her drinks-" Malfoy began.

"We're having fun, Harry!" Hermione interrupted, giggling. "Draco and me were going to-"

"Destructo!" Harry hollered while pointing his wand directly at Malfoy. A stream of yellow light burst from it and shot Malfoy in the bare chest, causing him to be thrown against the far wall and crumple to the floor, unconscious.

Hermione burst out laughing. "Oh … my… god!" She managed to say through all of the laughter. "That… was … awesome!"

"Hermione-" Harry began.

"I want to try!" Hermione cried. "Please, Harry? Can't I try? Destructo!"

The exact same spell that Harry performed on Malfoy materialized from Hermione's wand and aimed directly at Harry.

"Protego!" Harry shouted, blocking the spell.

Hermione began to whine. "Harry!" She sobbed. "You ruined my spell! Did you see how pretty it was! And you ruined it!"

Suddenly, the portrait hole swung open, revealing the second visitor of the evening. Professor McGonagall looked furious.

"I demand to know this instant what all of the noise is about!" She exclaimed. After taking a quick glance around and noticing an unconscious Malfoy and Harry and Hermione with their wands pointed at each other (not to mention Hermione with her dress put on sloppily backwards), her expression changed from fury to curiosity.

"I expect Malfoy was about to rape Hermione, Professor." Harry answered, innocently.

"What?" Professor McGonagall demanded, sharply.

"I don't know what would have happened had I not arrived." Harry continued. "And it looks as though Hermione is drunk."

"Yes, Winky has been loyal and went straight to Professor Snape once she heard of the party. Dobby tried to stop her, but all the same. I cannot believe Miss Granger would do something so brainless-"

"Oh, she wasn't drinking by choice!" Harry cried, jumping to defend Hermione. "It appears as though Ace put alcohol in Hermione's drinks."

Hermione burst out laughing. "He did, too! It was so funny! I didn't even notice! He is one hell of a kisser, though! Did you know that?"

"Enough, Miss Granger!" Professor McGonagall shouted. She looked outraged, and yet in shock at the same time. She turned her attention back to Harry. "Are you saying that my nephew put alcohol in Miss Granger's drinks without her knowledge?"

"Yes, Professor." Harry confirmed. "And from what eye-witnesses at the party have told me, Malfoy took Hermione from Ace and brought her up here. I just walked in on the two of them-"

"You walked in?" Professor McGonagall asked, skeptically. "How?"

"I begged and pleaded for the mermaids to let me in. They seem to have a soft spot for boys, and they allowed me entrance." Harry explained.

"I see." Professor McGonagall said. "I must have a talk with them, then. Please continue."

"Well, I walked in and they were both…er… not completely dressed. Now from what everyone knows of Malfoy's relationship with Hermione, they despise each other."

Hermione snorted. "Despise? Ha! That's a funny word, Harry! We hate each other! I don't despise him! At least, I don't think I do. What does despise mean again?"

Harry and Professor McGonagall ignored her. Harry continued. "That led me to the conclusion that Malfoy was taking advantage of Hermione's state of mind and trying to force himself on her."

"Very well, Mr Potter." Professor McGonagall sighed. "I will take the necessary precautions in the morning to ensure suitable punishment for both Mr Malfoy and Mr McGonagall." She focused her attention on Hermione. "Miss Granger, I advise you get some rest. There will be no punishment for you. And Mr Potter, very well done. Please come with me, I'll take you back to the Gryffindor Tower."

Harry looked longingly at Hermione, obviously not wanting to leave her. But, he did not dare argue with a teacher. Professor McGonagall performed a charm to levitate Malfoy out of the common room and to the Hospital Wing where he will get treated and revived by Madam Pomfrey.

Once left alone, Hermione felt abandoned. "Where did everyone go?" She asked the thin air. And with that she giggled herself to sleep.

The next morning arrived in a blur for Hermione. Ouch, my head! She cried to herself as she slowly got up from her lying down position on the couch. Everything was hazy; she could not completely see at first. Eventually, the fogginess died down a bit. However, the headache did not.

"I need some Advil." She got up, walked over to a desk, pulled out a bottle of Advil and popped a couple of pills in her mouth, completely forgetting that she was a witch and that she could make the headache vanish instantly with one simple charm.

After a long, hot shower, Hermione felt a bit better. She checked the clock on her bedside table.

"One thirty!" She cried, double-checking the time on the clock. Panicking, she grabbed all of her schoolbooks and raced for the exit. Then she halted, abruptly. "Damn it, its Sunday!" Calming down a bit, she threw her books on the nearest table and left through the portrait hole, anxiously heading for her delicious lunch in the Great Hall. On the trip downstairs, she tried to remember what happened last night, but nothing came to mind. I went to Lavender and Parvati's party with Harry. She told herself. Then I sat with Ace for a bit. Then… she let her thoughts drift off. Everything after that point was blank.

"Hermione!" A voice cried.

She snapped out of her attempts at reminiscing the previous night, only to come face-to-face with Harry, Ron and Ginny in the Great Hall.

"Oh!" She cried, startled. "Good morning, guys. Or afternoon, I suppose."

They all exchanged puzzled glances.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Are you… okay?" Ron asked after choosing the appropriate sentence.

"I think so. Why shouldn't I be?" Hermione asked, puzzled.

"You don't remember last night?" Ginny questioned, looking worried.

"No! Thank god, I thought I was going crazy. You don't either?" Hermione asked, sounding relieved.

"I do." Ginny said. "It's just that-"

"Ace was sent back to Durmstrang this morning." Harry explained. "And Malfoy was suspended."

"What?" Hermione asked, baffled. "Why?"

Harry went into the story of what had happened the previous night. He told her that Ace had spiked her drinks and that Malfoy had saved her from him, only to take her upstairs and attempt to rape her himself.

"What!" Hermione cried. "Malfoy would never do that! Ace wouldn't either! I don't… I don't understand. Is this some sort of sick joke?"

"No joke." Ron said, sadly.

"This can't be happening! Ace can't be gone! And Malfoy… Malfoy wouldn't do that to me! We're friends! Well, sort of. In a way. He would never try and rape me. Period."

"Well, he did." Harry said, bluntly. "And now he's gone. No one's sure how long, but I'm sure it will be awhile."

"Wow." Hermione managed to say. It was unbelievable, but she could not remember anything, so she couldn't deny that it had happened. For all she knew, it did.

"It's okay, Hermione." Harry said, immediately moving over to her and slipping a shoulder around her arm. "Everything's okay now. The two creeps of the school are gone. Now we can have a relationship, just you and me without anyone getting in the way."

"I've…uh, got to go. I'm supposed to meet some friends in the library." Ginny said, immediately. "You're alright, Hermione?"

Hermione nodded.

"Okay. Bye, then." She scooted out of the Great Hall.

Harry lifted Hermione's chin and kissed her. "Everything's going to be alright."

No. Hermione told herself. No, it won't.