Chapter Fifteen
Hermione blinked her eyes, she felt dizzy and her legs buckled slightly beneath her. Her mystery man caught her before she fell and held her upright. She draped her arms around him as he guided her to the edge of the room.
"Can I get a glass of water?" He asked a passing waiter as he sat Hermione in a chair.
The waiter rushed away and was quickly back with a tall glass of ice water.
"Sip this," he urged Hermione, offering her the drink, "you'll feel better in no time."
Hermione sipped the cool water gratefully and soon her head was clearing. She looked up sheepishly, "Sorry about that, "she said, "champagne goes straight to my head."
"No need to apologize," the man said with a tinge of guilt, "thank you for the... err... dance." He smiled at her, his hungry eyes beginning to fill with passion once more.
Hermione was still a little weak but her desire was flooding back slowly but surely. "I'm sorry," she said, "I don't usually throw myself at strangers like that... honestly I don't."
"Neither do I, but we're not really strangers, please don't apologize, I can't tell you how much I want you; body and soul. I just don't want to spoil anything tonight... everything is just perfect... you are perfect. I hope you will understand... soon."
Hermione gazed into his eyes and she saw the honesty within their blue/grey pools of liquid desire.
"I trust you," she said softly, and kissed him gently on the lips.
Just then Neville and Luna stepped up onto the stage, holding their wands to their throats.
"Is everyone having a good time?" Luna shouted towards the crowd. And the room roared, "Yeah!"
"Are you all ready to play some games?" Neville shouted. Again the crowd screamed, "Yeah!"
"Everybody split up into pairs," Neville said, "ladies and men." the room rumbled into chaotic action as everyone assembled, (with the exemption of one or two drunken guests who were snoring loudly, slumped in chairs around the edges of the hall), split off into pairs,
"Would you mind being my partner?" Hermione's mystery man asked sweetly.
"Not at all." Hermione replied.
"Now, all the ladies will go off into the mansion, and grounds (if you really don't want to be found), Neville said "and they will find themselves a hiding place."
"In ten minutes time your partners will come and find you," Luna said, "the first ten couples to get back here with the correct partner, (and I say correct because I don't want you just dragging anyone back here thinking we won't notice), will win some terrific prizes."
"Watch out for the ghosts," Neville added, "and beware of the frights we have set up especially for you. Happy Halloween!"
"Are you ready ladies?" Luna asked, "after me... three... two... one..."
"GO!" Neville shouted.
Hermione rose from her seat, waving teasingly to her partner and she followed the rush of women out of the ballroom. Witches ran every which way as they exploded in a giggling mass into the entrance hall, and Hermione followed several dozen as they ascended the wide staircase, candles now took the place of electric lighting throughout the household and the whole place had magically been transformed into one of the grandest haunted house settings Hermione had ever seen. A fine layer of dust covered every visible surface and cobwebs hung from the ceiling lamps and ornaments. Ambient sounds of moans, screams and disembodied footsteps echoed throughout the vast corridors.
Hermione turned a corner on one of the second floor corridors, (she was horribly lost by now) and a wizard in a terrifying zombie costume lurched out from behind a statue, or at least she hoped it was a costume, and it moaned and shuffled towards her, it's arms outstretched. Hermione screamed and ran down the corridor as fast as her high-heeled feet could carry her. After a while she came to a large wooden doorway. She pushed the heavy door inwards and it creaked, beyond the door she could see a narrow set of stairs lit by dim flickering candles, a chill breeze met her warm skin as she edged inside the door.