Draco Malfoy staggered into the kitchen, groggy, puffy-eyed and still very sleepy. Hermione was already reading The Daily Prophet by the small table. She looked alert despite the early hour. She smiled at him. She liked his morning look best – while he still hung around tousle-haired, wearing baggy pants and flip-flops. Imperfection suited him, she often said tongue-in-cheek.
"M-morning," yawned Draco, "anything interesting in the paper?"
"Actually, yes," said Hermione, "there was an attempted break into the Ministry."
Draco's eyes slid into focus as he grabbed a chair and pulled it closer to the kitchen table.
"Really?" he asked, yanked forcefully out of sleepiness. "That's very strange."
Hermione's eyes met his. "That's what I thought," she said, "I mean, what could they have been after, whoever they were? It has been a long time since something of remote importance was left for safeguarding at the Ministry. All is kept in Gringotts now."
"Perhaps it's something that's still being worked on," suggested Draco, "an object under an experimental charm or something."
"Yes," Hermione said softly, "maybe…"
At that precise moment, the doorbell rang, and Draco and Hermione looked at each other, surprised. Who could it be at this hour?
The surprise, it turned out, was far from pleasant – Draco observed the slim figure of Astoria Greengrass through the eyehole. Fortunately for herself, Hermione had a valid excuse to disappear from the scene, as baby Emmeline just woke up. She hurried to her daughter's room, leaving Draco alone with his ex-wife. His old bathrobe made quite a contrast with her sharp and elegant attire.
Astoria surveyed the tiny kitchen with an unpleasant smirk on her face.
"My, this place is hardly roomier than our broom cupboard," she remarked, "does paying alimony leave you unable to afford a decent house, Draco?"
"I think the meanings we put into the word decent vary dramatically, Astoria," he retorted.
"What does Narcissa say, I wonder, seeing her son in this miserable shack?" Astoria would not relinquish the pleasure of taunting him so easily.
"You didn't come here to comment on my housing conditions, did you?" snarled Draco, "spill the beans and get the hell out of here, Astoria."
"Fine," she said smoothly, "I came to ask you why you aren't doing your best to help our daughter, who is putting heroic effort against the disgrace that is going on at Hogwarts."
"Lavinia, putting heroic effort?" frowned Draco, "Don't tell me she is involved in that ridiculous Slytherin-defending campaign."
"Lavinia is defending her right to study in an environment free of Mudbloods and filth," Astoria said proudly.
Color flooded Draco's pale cheeks, and part of his anger was due to remembering how once the word "Mudblood" had slipped from his lips with the same careless ease Astoria used now.
"I will write to Lavinia and admonish her to stop this nonsense," he said coldly, "I will also send an owl to Professor Snape and ask him to keep an eye on her."
Astoria's eyes flashed angrily. "Blood traitor!" she spat at him.
"You cannot offend me by pointing out the best of me," said Draco, "and you will no longer intrude upon our privacy. Get out, Astoria."
Once Astoria was gone, Hermione re-emerged, carrying a cooing Emmeline.
"What did Astoria want?" she asked.
"The past," said Draco Malfoy, with a look of intense suffering, clutching his left forearm, "how I wish some things could be undone."
… Being given a party to plan together with Lennox put fresh spirit into Anna. In a flurry of excitement, the two of them sat in the common room, going over various essentials that would be needed for the ball.
"We will need gallons upon gallons of drinks," said Anna, "Butterbeer and mead and Gillywater, and a live band for the music, too… I do hope Daddy will agree to book the Weird Sisters, even though it will be pricey."
"What about printing invitations?" asked Lennox, "And what do you think of an age restrictions?"
Eventually, after lengthy discussions, they decided that anybody below fourth year will not be allowed to participate unless they get an invitation from an older student.
… "Which is the only reason I asked Lily, Al," explained Septimus for the fifteenth time that afternoon, "otherwise, how would she be able to go? You wouldn't take her, would you?"
"I don't think I'll be taking anyone at all," said Al Potter, "I mean, I think Rose and I might be going together, but we're cousins, you know."
It soon seemed that all over Hogwarts, people talking of nothing but the upcoming ball. Girls were contemplating dress and hair styles and talking about who asked whom to the ball, while boys were trying to figure out how to get the girls on their own to ask them out.
"I heard Davenport asked you to go to the ball with him, Vinny," said Anna.
"Yes," Lavinia replied sourly.
"Well, why the long face, then? Perhaps he's not the one with whom you'd want to go most of all, but it's better than going alone. No one asked me at all yet, and you can see I'm perfectly cheerful."
"The only reason no one asked you yet, Anna, is because the whole school is sure you're going with McKinnon."
Anna blushed faintly.
"So anyway, what's up? Why do you look so ruffled?"
"My father sent me an owl and told me that under no circumstances I am to participate in any movement, society or club that aims to disrupt the new regime at Hogwarts," Lavinia said acidly, "of course, these days I wouldn't expect any better of him, but the question is, how does he know?"
"Daddy got a bunch of letters from people supporting Slytherin," said Anna, "it wasn't that hard to figure our someone must be behind it, and once he did, it's pretty obvious you are one of the people most likely to be involved, Vinny."
"Well," said Lavinia, "if that is the case, you must prepare to be targeted too, Anna. Your interview with The Pureblood Visionary is scheduled for the week after the ball."
… Anna received an invitation to the ball soon enough, but not from the one she expected. James, having spotted her linger behind after Herbology, finally plucked up the courage and asked her whether she would like to go with him. He hated himself for going crimson red at that moment.
"So… what do you say, Anna?" he asked, "I mean – we can go as friends, if you – if –"
Anna looked distinctly uncomfortable.
"I'm terribly sorry, James," she said apologetically, "but I'm – I'm going with Lennox."
"Oh… right," said James, deflating.
It wasn't really a lie, Anna told herself later defensively. She was one of the most good-looking and popular girls at school – she wasn't being conceited, it was a fact. And lately, she and Lennox have been getting on really well… he was surely going to ask her to the ball – wasn't he?