Chapter 11
Blaise sent flowers to her work every day. It was actually getting embarrassing as the office girls were giving her looks. She had no choice but to hide them in her office. It would look like she was bragging if she left them out. Although that was perfectly acceptable behaviour in some girls' view.
There was a knock on the door and she looked up. She got this sense of panic whenever someone knocked on the door in case it was Blaise coming for another round of wooing. But she sagged in relief when it was Ginny.
"Are you setting up a florist shop?" Ginny said. "I can barely see you through the vegetation."
"Blaise is trying to apologise."
"By drowning you? Flower smell nice, but this is overpowering. Can we get out of here?"
"Sure." Hermione said, it was close to lunch time anyway. "Do you want some to take home?"
"No." Ginny said. "And how would I explain that to Harry?"
"Just tell him I gave them to you."
"Do you want me to explain this whole situation to Harry?"
"No." Hermione said sheepishly. She had actually not told him any details about how things ended between Blaise and her other than they did. Abruptly. And Harry, having at times remarkable sensitivity, or more likely a penchant for avoiding drama, didn't ask any further.
The pub was packed, but they found a table in the corner.
"So, you know Harry asked me to marry him." Ginny said.
"I know, its so exciting." Hermione said.
"Well, Lavender has proposed a hens night." Ginny said.
"That is the tradition."
"Apparently, some dancing club in Paris." Ginny said. "Have you been to a dancing club?"
"Sure." Hermione said. "Muggle ones. London is full of them."
"Well, this one is a wizard one. Its apparently where all the cool people go."
"Oh go, must we?" Hermione cringed.
"Well, I can tell you are as excited about the idea as I am, but it is my hens night and I am only planning one, so better make it a good one. Prepare for drunken revelry. It beats staying here, the boys would not be able to keep away."
"Right." Hermione said. "I will get my glad rags ready."
"Its been a while since we've had a proper night out." Ginny said. "And we have to dress really bad. I need some embarrassing photos to show my kids one day."
"I don't really have anything." Hermione said.
"Lavender wore this shiny purple leopard skin dress the other night. It was absolutely revolting. I am going to borrow it. I can borrow something for you too."
Hermione couldn't help but laugh. Lavender had notorious bad taste in clothes, which had only gotten worse since she started dating Cormac McLaggen.
"No I insist, I will pick out something special for you from Lav's closet."
"I'm dreading this." Hermione laughed. "But it's your party and you can dress us as you want to."
This pink metallic dress came over with the mail a few days later. It had this green sheen too it as you shifted it around in the light. It was god awful. Hermione just starred at it for a while. It looked like it would fit a three year old.
There was a note with it.
Don't forget. Big hair. Portkey at 9 from the Burrow. Arrive before. G.
It made her laugh again. This was going to be some night. Luckily it was in another country.
After a relaxing bath, she managed to squeeze into the dress. She still had the remains of a tan from the disastrous trip to Italy. The dress was so short it barely made it down past her bum. It would suit nothing but heels. She really did look like a Barbie doll.
Well, this was for Ginny, she through as she put on heavier makeup then she ever had before. She better appreciate this.
Which she did because she burst out laughing as soon has Hermione walked out the fireplace. Ginny wore the purple leopard skin dress with a cotton candy pink wig. It actually suited her in a trampy kind of way.
"We all look so fabulous." Lavender said with excitement. Hermione felt a bit mean spirited, because Lavender was serious.
Some of the others were already there, the Patel twins, Katie Bell, Alicia and Luna, who looked exactly like she normally did. Fleur was also coming too.
"I am so excited." Fleur said. "We used to go to Shaziz all the time."
"We have time for a few drinks before the Portkey activates." Ginny said with excitement.
The nightclub in Paris was pretty typical for a nightclub, except for the magical things. It was dark, full of lights and loud music, which seemed kind of jarring when you hadn't had enough drinks.
Lavender ordered a round of drinks, which were much too colourful, but they tasted alright.
"You have fantastic legs, Hermione." Padma said. "I've known you for absolute years and I never knew. You should make an effort to show them off more often."
Hermione coughed into her drink. "They only come out for hens nights."
After a few more drinks, some of the girls started dancing. Hermione gave it a shot, but she felt quite self conscious in her tiny skirt. Not that she really stood out in the crowd. After a while the girls started orientating themselves towards their table again.
The self-consciousness started to dissipate and they were having fun. Fleur met some girls she knew, or more like knew her from Beaubatton. Soon there was as much French at their table as there was Englinsh.
"Oh, lovlie." Lavender cried and got up. She rushed into the arms of Cormac.
"Yuck, I can't believe she invited him." Katie said. "There was supposed to be no boys allowed."
"Not sure Lavender really functions if there aren't any boys around." Hermione said. They were kissing now before they sat down in the middle of the girls.
Hermione chatted to Padma for a while as Ginny returned to the dance floor with some of the girls. Lavender clung onto McLeggan like she'd lose him if she let go.
"It's a good night." Lavender said. "Its really busy. I love coming here. Isn't it fab?"
"Sure." Hermione said. "I haven't been before."
"We're thinking about opening a similar kind of thing in England." Cormac said. "It would be dead popular. Kids have nowhere to go as it is."
"I'm sure it would be." Hermione said, although she was sure she would not be a customer.
"The wizard world is so stuffy." Lavender said. "They just don't know how to have fun. The muggles are actually better, we've been to a few of those muggle nightclubs, haven't we darling?"
"Yeah, although some of them are a little too weird. The music a bit monotonous. But still good for cutting lose a bit." He said. "Here, you should try this. It makes everything amazing." He handed her a vial with a light blue potion inside.
"No thanks." She said and handed it back.
"Come on Granger, you need to unwind a bit." He said.
"No, I'm good, but I appreciate the offer." She said out of pure manners, she didn't appreciate it one bit. "I think I will dance for a bit." She said to get away. God they were awful.
She danced. It was fun. She got over the fact that her dress barely covered her backside. If she didn't life her arms, she was fine. It really got the heart going, she had to stop and take a rest after a while. They returned to the table.
"Ginny, sure is fit." Katie said. "She has been dancing pretty much since we got her. I wonder what Harry has her doing to get her that fit?"
They giggled at the statement. Oh, god, she thought, she was entering the giggling stage.
"How was Blaise?" Katie said. "It knocked me off my feet when I heard you two had gotten together."
"He's a shit." Hermione said trying to guard her words because she was a little tipsy at this point. "Just completely arrogant."
"Yeah, but something must have been good, because you were together for a few weeks."
"There were some redeeming features." Hermione giggled. She was feeling really woosy now.
She woke up with a splitting headache. She wasn't sure she'd ever had a headache so bad. She'd been drooling too and there was makeup all over her pillow. She had no idea where she was or how she got there. She pulled herself up on shaky arms and looked around.
"Morning, sunshine." Ginny said.
"What time is it?" Hermione croaked.
"Its half past three."
"Wha..?" She started. "My head. What happened?"
"You don't remember?" Katie asked. Hermione hadn't realised Katie was there.
"Oh, hi Katie." She mumbled.
"What is the last thing you remember?" Ginny asked.
"I remember you were asking about Blaise, and then nothing."
"That was at the beginning of the night."
"There was more?" Hermione said. "I don't remember anything."
"You did go downhill pretty quick."
"I didn't drink that much."
"I think someone spiked your drink." Ginny said.
"That bastard." Hermione spat through gritted teeth.
"Who?"
"Cormac." Hermione said. "He wanted to take this potion he had. I said no, but he must have put it in my drink. Fucking bastard. He is never coming near me again. I'm gonna kill him."
"So you don't remember anything?" Katie asked again.
"No, I told you, nothing."
"Not even Malfoy?"
"What?" She gasped. "What do you mean Malfoy?" She said precisely and carefully.
"You were, you know." Ginny said.
Hermione's head whipped around to look at her sending a wave of pain through her. "No, I don't know."
"You were…kissing." Katie said carefully.
Hermione tried to process the info for a bit, but it refused to. "Kissing?" She repeated after a while. "Oh, very funny, tease me because I can't remember anything."
She expected them out burst out laughing, but they didn't. They just stared at her like they felt sorry for her.
"Oh god." Hermione said. She needed to throw up. Her stomach was doing full flips sending nausea rising through her. "Please tell me you're joking."
"You were all over each other." Katie said.
"Like no holds barred." Ginny said. "I was starting to worry he was going to get you pregnant right on the dance floor. I seriously had to pull you off him."
The contents of her stomach was seriously threatening to come up.
"He wasn't happy about it either."
"I forced myself on him?" Hermione yelled.
"No, about me taking you away." Ginny said. "Other than that, he looked perfectly fine about it all. As expected really, he is like the biggest slut around. I didn't exactly see how it came about, one minute you were there, the next you were entwined with him. And I mean entwined, you were..." She faded as she realised that maybe she shouldn't be describing it in such detail.
"Oh my god, he must think I'm a complete whore."
The girls obviously didn't really know what to say.
"I'm sure he doesn't." Katie said with uncertainty.
"Please." Ginny said. "Have you met Malfoy? He is all about notching the bed post."
Katie blushed.
Ginny gasped. "Oh my mother's bloomers, you've had him."
"I have not!" Katie defended. "There was just this little thing in forth year."
"You better never tell Ron." Ginny laughed heartily.
"Its not something I'm proud off." Katie said. "He was a complete arsehole afterwards. And then he tried to kill me, let's not forget."
"I'm sure he was really drunk too." Ginny said. "Probably won't remember."
Hermione knew Ginny was lying. She pulled her pillow over her head.
"Go away." Hermione said. "I never want to see anyone again."