A/N: And so, the night out continues...:p

Previously: "Granger!" She ignored him as she saw Adrian coming back up the stairs with drinks in hand, and hoped that Malfoy would just take a hint. She flashed a smile, welcoming back the interruption to her everlasting distraction.


"I hope you like cocktails, the bartender recommended the house special, a Diamond Delight," Adrian said as he offered her an opulent glass glistening with an icy concoction.

"It looks pretty," she joked.

"I thought so," he grinned. She took a sip, only to find her tastebuds titillated by the bittersweet mix. She felt dazzled by the flavours. "Good?" he asked.

She nodded, "It certainly lives up to its name." He laughed.

"Do you want to go sit somewhere and have a chat while we drink these? It's a bit hard to dance with one free hand. Well, the way I like to dance, anway."

"Yeah, ok." Adrian led her toward one of the sitting areas that could be shielded by the ceiling height red curtains. She did not speculate where Malfoy had gone until she saw him up ahead, talking to none other than Pavarti and Lavender. She felt even worse for using them as an excuse to avoid him, when clearly they had no problem in their drunken states. They'd chat to anyone! She pursed her lips as she saw them giggling at something he said. It made her feel uneasy.

"This one's free," Adrian directed. She sat down on the plush midnight blue crescent couch, as he drew the curtain. It appeared to be charmed to drown out the loudness of the music in the main room, which she considered rather clever. He sat next to her, inching closer. "Well, I know you're gorgeous, and that you enjoy a dance, but, tell me something I don't know about you, Hermione?" She blushed. The "r" in her name rolled off his tongue in such a way it made her shiver. He was the polar opposite to Malfoy: dark, olive skinned, thick black hair, sporting a five o'clock shadow. His eyes were framed with black rimmed square glasses that only served to add to his mysterious allure.

"Well…," she faltered. No guy had recently asked her anything about her self. Malfoy was either presumptuous or brazen with his inquisitions. "What do you want to know?" she decided to be playful. He inched closer. Hermione realised that the only reason she knew this guy's name was because Malfoy had told her. "I don't even know your name," she added.

"Andrew." She eyed him questioningly

"What, don't I look like an Andrew, or something?" he teased.

"Uh, no, I just thought you might have a more exotic name," she quickly surmised. Maybe Malfoy had the wrong guy? She shrugged it off and smiled, turning her attention to her drink for a moment.

"I'm sorry to disappoint," he mocked. At least he had a sense of humour. "I hope I do make up for it in other ways."

"Do you have a bag of tricks up your sleeve?" she flirted. He laughed again.

"You'll just have to wait and see, won't you? How's that cocktail? Mind if I taste?" he said rather suggestively. Hermione moved to hand him her drink but he stopped her, leaning in.

"I have something else in mind," he whispered. Their implied discussion left her feeling rather light headed, and she could not make sense of what he meant, that is until, she could feel his lips on hers. Hermione almost jumped out of her seat in surprise. So, this is how a smooth man operated in a bar? She responded; her inhibitions wavered by her drink, as the feel of his stubble enticed her senses. The kiss was rough, lustful, yielding no meaning other than desire in the heat of the moment. Yet, it was strangely satisfying. Hermione broke the kiss in fear, for she never allowed herself such intimacy for the sake of it.

"You're right, it does live up to its name," he finished. She looked at him coyly, smiling slightly, taking another sip to cool her lips. He was full of subtle undertones.

"Was that one of your tricks?" she replied, in an attempt to bring them back to a conversational level.

He leaned back expectantly, bringing her with him, "You're a smart witch, aren't you?" he said with a sly half smile, one that oozed confidence. Malfoy was right. If there was anyone who could stop her mind ticking, it was this man. She felt an uncommon desire to surrender to her emotions, it was beyond her control and it was growing at an exponential rate. She could feel her eyes glaze as she resisted the urge.

"How are you feeling, Hermione," he whispered. She drew into him, her hand on his chest, her eyes focused on his lips, her heart rate unusually excited. He was looking at her expectantly. She wondered briefly why he didn't make the first move again but she was overcome by an unusually spontaneous craving and moved to kiss him. The contact was unrestrained as she abandoned all thought but the mechanics of their intense kissing. Immersed in her actions, she did not register that the music had suddenly become loud again. She was so much as straddling Andrew at the moment she caught the reaction of the intruder.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" a high pitched voiced shrieked. He broke their contact to see what the commotion was leaving Hermione feeling strangely disappointed by the interruption. She felt a sense of loss and her desire re-escalating. She turned her head in frustration to reprimand the culprit.

"Carla!" she squeaked. The shock was enough to shift her attentions from him and jump out of the compromising position she found herself in. Blushing, she straightened her dress and stood. Adrian seemed livid.

"Can't you see this area is occupied? Closed curtains usually mean no entry!" he practically bellowed over the music. It seemed that Carla did not register who Hermione was, focusing her attention on him.

"I'm sorry, I made a mistake, I was looking for someone," she asserted, glancing quickly at Hermione as she moved to turn away. She quickly glanced back, "Hermione Granger?"

"Hello Carla, having a nice evening?" Hermione shifted her weight, from one heel to the other. Carla raised an eyebrow as her eyes darted from Adrian and back to her, giving her the once over. Hermione wanted to slap her demeaning stare.

"Have you seen Draco?" Hermione shook her head.

"Again, sorry to have interrupted," she replied before walking away. Hermione released a breath, realising that she had tensed up quite a bit at being seen partaking in such activities so openly.

"Now, where were we?"

"Uh, my friends are probably wondering where I am, I should go find them," The distance from him seemed to bring her to her senses.

"Come on Hermione," he practically purred, "I thought we had something good going here?" He leaned forward from his seating position, patting his knee for her to climb back on.

"It was…nice," she frowned at her poor description which would probably offend him. It was certainly anything but nice; it was the antithesis.

"Nice? If that's your impression of nice, I would love to see what your idea of steamy would be! And, we were only getting started. It was just kicking in." She just caught the end of it and her eyes widened in realisation.

"Huh? What was kicking in?"

"Nothing you wouldn't enjoy, don't worry."

"Andrew, can you please tell me what you're talking about?" He stood up, walked over to her and began rubbing her arms soothingly.

"Can you feel it now?" She could, the blinding desire in her head was in full force and she wanted her whole body to be connected to his. She flew out of his reach in realisation.

"Please tell me you haven't drugged me?" she narrowed her eyes in horror at the prospect.

"It's just a stimulant. I am really attracted to you and I thought you felt the same, so this just lets you loosen up a little and act on it more readily." Hermione was freaking out.

"Just a stimulant?" she shouted, "that is so invasive and deceptive, Andrew, not to mention probably illegal! Whatever you have given me has erased all inhibitions and affected my judgement! It's not some sort of lust potion is it?" Her hands were trembling as she stepped further away from him. The pull of her lust driven emotions subsided a little.

He had the nerve to laugh. "Lust potions don't exist, Hermione. It's a pheromone receptor booster. It's not illegal. It relies on an existing attraction and enhances it. It does not make you have that reaction with every male." She was seething at his condescending tone. She could slap him right now but she had the more pressing matter of maintaining a safe distance to worry about.

"Whatever! It was really dishonest of you to do that! I- I have to go find my friends. Don't follow me out," she ordered. "Is your name even Andrew, or is it Adrian?" she suddenly remembered. He seemed taken aback by this but remained silent. "I thought so," she laughed at her own stupidity before turning away. Hermione shifted the obstructing curtain to one side and once again was drowned by the blaring sound. "Fucking men!" she yelled over the music. A few people close by turned their heads in her direction, astounded by such vocal obscenity. She smirked at them.

What a night it was turning out to be! Hermione wandered down to the main area occupying the bar. She needed fluids to flush out whatever it was that was paralysing her judgement. Any man she felt even a remote attraction to would foster the unwanted feeling within her, but she could manage it with her refreshed sense of awareness and anger. She wondered whether Lavender and Pavarti were still floating about. Hermione caught the bartender's attention, and ordered a bottle of water, gulping it down in record time.

Spotting Lavender's red dress, she hurried over, eyes downcast so as not to catalyse any unwanted reactions. "Hey!" she tapped her to grab her attention. Lavender spun around and gave Hermione a hug.

"What happened to mister tall, dark and handsome?" she quizzed.

"Don't ask!" she rolled her eyes but doubted Lavender noticed. "He turned out to be a jerk!" Lavender laughed, rubbing Hermione's arm.

"Aww, honey, all guys are jerks, but he was a hot jerk!" she said it in a knowing way that made Hermione smile. "Speaking of hot, you wouldn't believe who Pavarti is dancing with! Draco Malfoy!"

"What?"

"Draco Malfoy!"

"I heard you!" Lavender frowned at her sharpness. Hermione could not believe Malfoy had infiltrated their girl's night. She could see him dancing with Pavarti rather closely and even with the metres of distance between them, that undeniable pull in her stomach meant that the stimulant had not waned and she could feel her mind clouding. "I have to go to the bathroom, ok?"

"We'll be right here."

Hermione inched her way through the crowd once more and headed to the ladies. What a way for her first night out to unfold. If she ever saw Adrian again she would hex him. Her priority at the time was to distance herself immediately; she didn't think to take action of a permanent type. She glanced at herself in the mirror. She looked the same except for the fact that on closer inspection her pupils were dilated a little too much. She inwardly growled, then moaned at her own naivety at accepting drinks from strange men when she did not see the drink being made. At least her hair hadn't moved out of place. She shook her head and laughed pitifully. It was time to call it a night and head home but she would need to let the girls know. If only she could apparate within the venue, that would have eased her burden. Once again, Hermione wandered back through the dancing crowd, avoiding stealing glances from men at all costs. Lavender's dress in sight, she was almost there when she felt a hand grab her and pull her in to the dancing crowd.

"Hermione! Come dance!" It was Pavarti. She swung her around and into the direct gaze of Malfoy. She had no time to consider his signature smirk an abomination, for she was fighting off the irrefutable covet. Her eyes widened in horror at the realisation she would not be able to hold out the need for contact. The lights flashed around her, and his eyes bore into hers.

"You remember Draco Malfoy from school?" Pavarti introduced, unbeknownst to the eye exchange and physical reactions occurring in her carefree state.

"How could I forget," Hermione responded, still staring at Malfoy. She could not break the eye contact.

"Draco, don't be rude! Say 'hi' to Hermione," Pavarti gave him a playful shove. He leaned in close to her ear. Her breath hitched in horror at what she might do.

"Hello, Hermione." His cool baritone hit her senses like a thunderbolt. "What's wrong with your eyes?" he added. She was certain he would have noticed her tense up like a washboard. Without a word, Hermione moved past him, careful not to make any contact whatsoever, and practically ran to the exit of 'Blue Diamond'. Stepping out into the crisp air, she finally exhaled, breathless. She began to walk down to the end of the alley, ignoring the chill on her bare skin.

"Leaving so soon?" She whirled around to see Malfoy looking rather amused.

"You came out here to ask me that? It was pretty obvious wasn't it?" she retorted. "What did you tell Pavarti before deciding to follow me?"

"That I insulted you."

"Figures," she said, more for her own ears.

"Well it worked. She demanded I come after you to apologise. Amazing what orders one can pull off after a few drinks."

"Don't be a wise-crack."

"I do owe you an apology though." Hermione didn't hear a thing. She was too busy inching closer to him, her eyes on his lips. There was no way she could overcome the building magnetism to be near him without any extraneous stimuli disturbing her.

"Huh?"

"I owe you an apology for insinuating you were promiscuous." Hermione laughed. He frowned, scrutinizing her closely.

"Granger, what are you on?"

"Just a stimulant," she murmured.

"What!" he yelled.

"I don't care," she continued, her hands were now on his chest, moving over his sculpted physique masked by the Egyptian cotton.

"Granger, you'll regret this," he stated frankly.

"Draco, I want this," she finished before pressing her lips to his soft and surprised mouth. The eruption of her nerve endings ensued at the contact, as her stomach flipped in response. The sensation was so overwhelming that she grew faint, and then everything went blank.


A/N: I leave you with a note that it will be from Draco's viewpoint next time.