Chapter Five: Truly and Royally Smashed
Ginny looked at the gathered crew in front of her smugly as she nestled deeper into Blaise's arms. A few of them had doubted the genius in her plan. True, some were hopeful that an encounter heavily loaded with alcohol would finally loosen up Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy a little but the rest frowned upon the idea, thinking that alcohol would only cause the two to act more inflammatory towards each other.
The rest had finally conceded on the condition that at least a couple of them would stay sober in case Hermione and Draco flew off the handle again.
"I won't say I told you so." Ginny said in a mocking, sing-song voice.
Ron winced at the high pitch his sister used. "Shut up and hand me the Hang-Over Potion."
The crew had returned from a night of drinking at around dawn. A lot of them promptly slumped off and went to sleep until late noon when they were roused by a bossy Pansy Parkinson and a smug Ginny Weasley who demanded they go to Potter's house that instant for what had become their weekly meeting on meddling with friends' love lives.
Thus explains why Ronald Weasley was draped on one of Harry Potter's couches downing a bottle of Hang-Over Potion like his life depended on it as his girlfriend, Daphne, looked like she had just swallowed a bucket of Blast Ended Skrewts.
The twins and Astoria fared no better as they were slumped against each other, bottles of Hang-Over Potion in their hands as well.
Luna didn't even manage to stay awake as she promptly fell asleep using Crabbe as a pillow upon arrival at 12 Grimmauld Place.
Lavender could only look at them, annoyed, that she was left out of the drinking fun again. At least her husband, Greg, wasn't in the loop too.
The rest of them, having been the ones to watch over Draco and Hermione the previous night, were faring somewhat better, and Harry even managed to get up before noon and whip up a batch of Hang-Over Potion for the rest of them.
He passed around the last of the vials of the potion and then promptly slumped on the couch beside Pansy, who he noticed was fretting nervously by his side.
"What's wrong, Pansy?" He asked concerned.
"I'm worried about Draco and Granger." She whispered. "What if they're still not getting along by the wedding? I don't want a tense atmosphere at my wedding, Harry!"
Harry and Pansy's wedding were in two week's time and she had everything planned to perfection.
"Don't worry, Pansy." He reassured her. "I'm sure even though they don't get along, they would surely be civil to each other at the wedding. Especially at the entourage." To which Pansy responded with a slight smile.
"And don't forget the fact that they went home together last night." Ginny reminded them cheerfully.
Last night could be considered the finest point of their plotting. And all it took were three main ingredients.
A Hermione in a skimpy, form-fitting gold dress.
A jealous Draco, with the events of last week's mission still fresh on his mind.
And alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol.
Under the pretense of very clingy friends in need of more attention from a certain workaholic witch, Hermione has agreed, albeit grudgingly, for Pansy, Ginny, and Luna to dress her up in a very revealing gold dress and take her to the newest club in Diagon Alley for a night of drinking and debauchery.
Draco was already sitting amongst the boys and the Greengrass sisters. Lavender Goyle and her husband were as expected, weren't among present company, given the woman's pregnancy.
Upon their arrival, Pansy promptly squeezed in between Harry and Ron and gave her fiancé a full kiss on the lips, Luna dragged Crabbe to dance floor and Ginny plopped down on Blaise's lap. Immediately, Astoria plastered her body against Fred's in order to make space between her and Draco indicating that that should be the place where Hermione sits.
Ginny watched her friend look at the spot calculatingly, as if analyzing whether it would be worth it to sit beside Malfoy for an indefinite period of time or risk a night of Astoria's whining that she didn't want to sit beside the Slytherin girl. Astoria Greengrass had a budding friendship with Hermione, and though the former still addresses Hermione by her last name most of the time, everyone knew how much Astoria looked up to her and hung out with her every chance she got.
Ginny was suddenly pulled out of her remembrance of the previous night by Blaise's throaty chuckle. "You know, I haven't told you people yet, but watching Draco not get an aneurysm at the way Granger's body was pressed against him in that crowded couch was too funny."
Harry looked at him weirdly. "I was watching him and Malfoy looked pretty calm to me the whole time."
To which, Zabini shook his head amused. "That's the thing." He said. "Draco was too relaxed. Almost as if he was forcing himself to be. Also, there was also the matter of him gripping his wine glass too hard again, something he does when stressed, and let's not forget how he wolfishly watched Granger on the dance floor before being fed up and going to her himself."
"I do wish somebody would include us in the loop." Lavender huffed, annoyed. "If we knew you would be ignoring us this much, Greg and I would just have stayed home!"
Pansy was about to bite back with a scathing remark but was quelled by the apologetic look on Goyle's face. She satisfied herself by muttering 'temperamental bitch' under her breath instead.
"I'll give you a rundown, Lavender." Daphne said, apparently gaining enough of her wits back to participate in the conversation. "First, Granger, who was wearing practically nothing, was forced to sit in very close proximity with Draco, which as Blaise kindly pointed out, almost gave the man aneurysms. Then, we practically poured liquor down their throats before Astoria here, decided to take Granger to the floor for some dancing."
"It was a pretty good idea, if I must say." Astoria butted in. "It was the provocation that Draco needed to approach her."
"Oh, he was provoked alright." Fred groaned as he was reminded of the murderous glare the Malfoy heir transfixed on him as he danced with Hermione that night. He truly wanted to dance with Astoria but upon the girl's insistence that one of the twins dance with Hermione to make Draco jealous, he and George tossed a coin. And he lost. Curse his twin for using his double-headed coin and curse him for forgetting about it. Not that Hermione wasn't a good dancer, oh no. He just didn't fancy a pair of grey eyes boring a hole into his skull with an intense glare all night.
He also didn't fancy the strong shove Draco gave him that almost sent him toppling to the floor. He was going to retaliate but he saw the intense stare Draco was giving Hermione and the equally fierce expression on the brunette witch's face and decided to stay out of it and find his girlfriend and his brother.
That night, they saw the pair dance, getting closer and closer to each other with every beat. The two of them failed to return to the couch where the evening began when the friends have finally regrouped. The last thing anyone has heard of them was Harry testifying that they hurried to the Apparition point and disappeared together into the night.