HEY :D

I should apologize for being away for so long, the only excuses I have are a) I have lots of homework b) I'm lazy ;)

If you are still reading this, thanks and I promise I will update more quickly in the future.

BTW this isn't a full chapter, I just thought that I'd put this up for now and put up the other half when I'm done.

Oh, and I haven't been on here for a while either, so I'll definitely be reading and reviewing all of you fics pretty soon xD

It couldn't have been avoided.

Theodore Nott stood on the Greengrass's spacious balustrade, sipping a glass coffee scanning the too familiar pureblood guest ambling around a too pristine lawn.

A thin arm slid around his.

"Having fun, aren't you? I'm so glad you came – I've got so many people I want to introduce you to, whether you like it or not!" cooed Daphne Greengrass.

Before he could protest that he was just fine, thank you very much, she had already dragged him off. For the next hour, he was forced to make strained, albeit polite conversation with people whose names he forgot as soon as they introduced themselves.

Funny how much effort the Greengrasses put into this, he thought. He recalled with a wry smile how impressed they had been after they found out his last name. A long time ago, he would have barely acknowledged them – the only names he remembered at the parties his parent once hosted were of a select few: Black, Malfoy, Rosier, Lestrange, Dolohov. For God's sake, even the Hufflepuff Ernie MacMillan was there.

The same last name that had gotten him respect at this party didn't serve him so well elsewhere. Now Nott couldn't even know what he disliked more: seeing Granger inhale sharply at the mention of his family name, or having Daphne's dowdy aunt fawn over him because of it.

No, he thought. Nothing could be worse than being seen walking around with Daphne's arm through one of his, and her tottering aunt clutching tightly at the other, with her unbecoming pink ruffles and shiny white dentures and all.

The one sight he hadn't quite minded seeing was Astoria Malfoy. Long ago, they had come to terms that they would never be, should never be anything more between them. But looking at her…From a distance, why not?

Then she turned to him. The sun was nearly blinding, but even he noticed Astoria break out of her cold shell, just for a second. Just for a second he thought she had almost, barely smiled at him.

And then she turned back to Draco and laughed.

Nott left soon after.

The record store might have been dusty, shabby and nearly run-down, but it was still a beautiful place for Hermione. Running her fingers across the spines of CDs and old record evoked pleasant childhood memories of coming here with both of her parents, which seemed in the warm afternoon to hold almost a hazy, magical glow.

"No way! I've been looking everywhere for this!" exclaimed Ron, jolting Hermione out of her reverie. He waved a copy of Pink Floyd's The Wall at her.

"Good on you, honey." She wished she had brought Rose along to pick out some nursery rhymes.

"Oh, I just remembered I had some work to do! I'm so sorry…"

"It's okay, honey." Hermione sighed.

Ron brightened up a little.

"Then I'll just pay for this, and go. See you tonight!"

Hermione sighed. Suddenly, she didn't regret not bringing Rose so much, and the record store looked more run-down and less magical.

"Well, fancy seeing you here, Granger. It's surprising you don't spend all your free time in libraries anymore." She knew that

"Why am I here? What on earth are you doing…" she exclaimed, before dropping her voice to a whisper, "in a Muggle shop?"

He cocked an eyebrow.

"Same as you! Getting some decent music."