Halloween Bash
Hermione had been preparing for the party for the past few hours. She had decided to go all out and had transfigured her outfit to match the uniform of Captain Janeway from Star Trek Voyager, complete with a communicator badge and rank pips. Her hair had been a bit of a challenge but with liberal amounts of Sleekeazy potion, she managed to get it to cooperate into the iconic Janeway bun which the character sported in the earlier seasons of the show.
When she arrived at the Three Broomsticks, the party was already in full swing. She scanned the pub for her friends and finally found them sitting in a corner, dressed in various Starfleet uniforms. They had all fallen in love with the franchise, after Hermione had introduced it to them the summer after the war. Sitting around together watching Muggle television had oddly helped them all start to recuperate and secretly Hermione was pleased to share her love of Star Trek with someone other than her parents.
Hermione greeted her friends and settled into the conversation, but she couldn't help looking around for Narcissa. Suddenly, Hermione saw Narcissa entering the pub, dressed as Seven of Nine. Her mind screeched to a halt. Narcissa looked stunning in her form-fitting plum bodysuit, complete with the signature Borg implants on her forehead and hand.
Hermione couldn't believe how attractive Narcissa looked. She had always been beautiful, but there was something about the Seven of Nine costume that accentuated her curves and made her look more alluring. Hermione found herself struggling to keep her eyes from lingering on the older woman's figure.
Narcissa approached the group, and everyone was surprised to see her and her costume. Before Hermione could even say hello, she was interrupted by Draco's shocked exclamation.
"Mother?!"
###
Narcissa nervously stepped into the Three Broomsticks, scanning the crowded pub for any sign of Hermione. She had never been to a Halloween party quite like this before, and she couldn't help but feel a bit out of place. Her heart leaped as she spotted Hermione, dressed in a stunning Captain Janeway uniform, talking with a group of people. Narcissa couldn't help but admire how beautiful Hermione looked, with her hair expertly styled into Janeway's signature updo.
As she made her way over to Hermione, Narcissa couldn't help but feel self-conscious about her own costume. She had decided to dress up as Seven of Nine, a character she had always found fascinating. As she approached Hermione, all of her doubts disappeared. Hermione's eyes widened as she took in Narcissa's costume, and Narcissa felt a thrill of satisfaction at the sight of Hermione's surprised expression.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Draco's shocked exclamation of "Mother?!" Narcissa turned to see her son dressed as Dr. Bashir from Deep Space Nine, complete with a tricorder in his hand.
"Draco, darling," she said, walking over to him and giving him a hug. But before she could say anything more, Draco spoke again. "What are you doing here?" he asked, sounding surprised.
Narcissa took a deep breath, trying to keep her composure. "Hermione invited me," she explained, gesturing towards the young woman in the Janeway costume. "I hope you don't mind."
Draco looked at Hermione, raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything more. Narcissa then turned to greet the other people present, noticing their various Star Trek costumes. Ginny Weasley was dressed as Kira Nerys, Luna was dressed as Guinan, and Neville Longbottom was dressed as Chief O'Brien. Narcissa noted that with the slightly curly hair of Chief O'Brien, Neville bore a slight resemblance to Hermione.
She turned to Harry, who was dressed in a red shirt costume from the original series. Narcissa couldn't figure out who he was supposed to be, so she asked. "Ok I recognize everyone else but who are you supposed to be?"
Harry chuckled. "Just a regular red shirt. You know, the ones who always get killed on the away missions but aren't really important to the story."
Narcissa couldn't help but chuckle at Harry's joke, feeling more at ease in the lively atmosphere of the Halloween party. Narcissa turned back to the rest of the table and was in the middle of complimenting everyone's costumes when she heard someone approach her from behind. She turned around to see Angelina Johnson dressed as a female version of Captain Sisko together with George Weasley who had used an impressive mix of charms and transfiguration to look like Quark.
"Attention, everyone! The superior captain has arrived," Angelina announced with a grin, gesturing to herself.
Hermione scoffed at the comment, "Please, she's just the captain of a space station, Janeway is the captain of Voyager."
George Weasley was about to respond to Hermione, when he noticed Narcissa and his jaw dropped, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Bloody hell, I wasn't expecting you here." He took a moment to take in her costume "You know it makes sense an Ice Queen would show up dressed as an Ice Queen," he joked.
Narcissa felt Hermione bristle beside her, ready to defend her, but before she could speak, Narcissa turned to George with a small smirk on her lips.
"It must be difficult to receive OO-mox with only one ear," she said, referencing the Ferengi custom of massaging the ears, a major erogenous zone for the species.
Everyone was stunned into silence for a moment, unsure of how to react to Narcissa's unexpected joke. But then Hermione let out a muffled laugh, and the tension was broken.
"I think we should go get some drinks," Hermione suggested, still laughing.
Narcissa nodded in agreement, feeling a sense of relief that she had managed to diffuse the situation with her wit. She followed Hermione to the bar, trying to ignore the stares and whispers from the other party-goers.
As they waited for their drinks, Hermione turned to Narcissa with a small smile on her face. "You know, you're quite good at this," she said.
"At what, exactly?" Narcissa asked, taking a sip of her drink.
"Making jokes and being funny," Hermione clarified.
Narcissa felt a warmth spread through her chest at Hermione's compliment. "I suppose I've always had a bit of a dry sense of humor," she admitted.
"Well, I think it's great," Hermione said with a grin. "You should let loose more often. So, what do you think of the party so far?"
"I think it's quite entertaining," Narcissa replied with a smile. "Your friends seem to have been quite successful with their costumes. I reluctantly admit George in particular makes an impressive Quark."
Hermione laughed. "They aren't the only ones. I'm surprised you came dressed as Seven of Nine, though."
Narcissa shrugged. "I thought it would be fun to try something different. Plus, I always thought Seven was a fascinating character."
"I can see why," Hermione said with a smile. "You look amazing, by the way."
Narcissa blushed slightly. "Thank you, Hermione. You look stunning as well."
###
They continued to chat and mingle with the others, enjoying the party and the company. When Hermione noticed Harry was making his way alone towards the bar. She turned to Narcissa, "Now's our chance. Let's go ask Harry about what he knows about Bellatrix's history before she escaped from Azkaban."
Narcissa nodded, "Lead the way"
Hermione took the opportunity to grab Narcissa's hand, ignoring how well it fit in her own hand and made their way over to Harry.
"Hey Harry, can we join you for a moment?" Hermione asked as they reached the bar.
"Sure, what's up?" Harry replied, taking a sip from his butterbeer.
"We wanted to ask you something," Hermione said, "What do you remember about Bellatrix's history before she escaped from Azkaban?"
Harry furrowed his brow, "Well, she was a corrupt Auror who joined the Dark Lord and tortured Neville's parents. Why do you ask?"
Narcissa and Hermione exchanged a look, both of them realizing that Harry only had one set of memories. "No reason, just curious," Hermione said, trying to keep her voice steady.
Harry shrugged, "Alright, well I better get back to the group. See you guys later."
Once he was out of earshot, Hermione turned to Narcissa, "I think we should go somewhere more private to talk."
Narcissa nodded and they made their way outside to a secluded alleyway. Hermione and Narcissa were walking down a dimly lit alleyway when Hermione suddenly froze, her senses on high alert.
"What's wrong?" Narcissa asked, noticing Hermione's sudden stillness.
"I feel like we're being watched," Hermione replied, her voice low and tense.
Before Narcissa could respond, a voice called out from the darkness, "Diffindo!"
Hermione quickly pushed Narcissa behind her and raised her wand to cast a protective shield. However, her Protego was slightly off balance, and the spell hit her on the side. She grimaced in pain but continued to cast spells down the alley.
"Stupefy! Incendio!" Hermione yelled as she launched spells in the direction of the voice.
Suddenly, the sound of someone apparating echoed through the alleyway. Hermione lowered her wand and turned to Narcissa, who was looking at her with concern.
"Are you okay?" Narcissa asked, noticing Hermione's injury.
Hermione winced in pain as she touched her wound. "It's bleeding pretty badly," she said.
Without hesitation, Narcissa apparated them somewhere safe.
###
Narcissa sprung into action as they arrived at Hermione's secure apartment, summoning the First Aid Kit that she assumed Hermione would own. Narcissa quickly led Hermione to the couch and laid her down. She vanished the younger woman's top and began to clean the wound on Hermione's side. Narcissa felt herself start to panic, as the bleeding didn't slow.
Hermione noticed Narcissa's worried expression, and attempted to make a joke, "Well, this isn't exactly how I imagined you seeing me topless for the first time." Before Narcissa could respond though Hermione passed out.
Narcissa's heart rate quickened as she realized how bad the situation was. She knew that professional help was needed and quickly cast her Patronus to send a message to Harry. "Hermione is injured. Bring a healer you trust to her apartment as soon as possible."
Minutes passed by as Narcissa worried and pressed on the wound to try and slow the bleeding. She heard the sound of the fire signaling Harry's arrival.
"What happened?" Harry asked frantically, as he noticed the unconscious and bleeding Hermione.
Behind him was Andromeda, looking shocked to find Narcissa in Hermione's apartment.
"Cissy?"
Narcissa froze at the sight of her sister, the healer whom she loved so very much but hadn't seen since she was forced to be on the wrong side of the war due to Lucius' beliefs. It was one shock too many for Narcissa and her eyes rolled back in her head as she joined Hermione in unconsciousness.
