HG

Hermione laughed as Neville spun her out before pulling her back in and dancing around her. Neville was the first to admit he wasn't exactly a natural athlete, but he sure could dance. You could always count on Neville to have a good time; he had no qualms about being the first on the dance floor, so Hermione found it easy to let loose and wave her arms about, knowing he would already be doing the same. As the music faded to the next song, Ginny approached, hovering a pair of shot glasses with some iridescent liquid in the air, as she swayed towards the pair. Harry and Ron trailed behind her, bringing along a shot for Neville as well.

"You look like you could use a drink after all the flailing about!" Ginny shouted at Hermione's face, as she pushed a shot towards her.

"Ginny, what is thi-"

"Three, two, one… shot!" Without giving her a chance to change her mind, Ginny nudged the glass towards her face to encourage her to drink it.

As she knocked back the drink, Hermione's eyes instantly watered from the bitter burn before being replaced by a sweet tingly sensation. Trying not to cough, she rounded on her friends and made a face.

"That was simultaneously the worst and best thing I've ever had to drink! What even was it?" Hermione asked.

Ron slung an arm around her and laughed. "I've learnt not to question Gin with these things 'Mione. Now come on, it's my turn to dance with the birthday girl!" He plucked the empty shot glass from Hermione's hand and handed it over to Harry along with his own and pulled her to the dance floor.

Hermione smiled and went with him willingly. In the earlier years of school, she had had a big crush on Ron and they gave the good old relationship a go but ultimately they had both decided that they were better off as friends. Ginny had actually said that it was weird seeing the two of them together, it almost seemed incestual, which both parties grimaced at but privately realised they agreed.

Ron wiggled and flung his arms and unabashedly made straight eye-contact with her, as he made shapes in the air that would repel any girl within a 10-foot radius. This only made Hermione laugh as she pretended to hide her face and walk away from the scene of the crime.

"Oh no you don't! I've not finished drawing the appropriate level of attention to the birthday girl yet." He announced as he spun her back to the centre, before throwing jazz hands at her. A few of the people dancing around them laughed and pointed at the two of them as Hermione laughed and tried to shy away from the attention. As she spun around, she made eye contact with Harry who was standing next to Colin Creevey and directing him to take pictures of the two of them. Hermione marched straight over to Harry and announced that he joined them.

"No, you know I can't dance!" Harry vehemently objected, but she wasn't having it. As they approached, Ron made space for them on the dance floor and laughed at Harry's reluctance.

As Hermione danced with her two oldest friends, the happy feeling normally associated with alcohol hit her, and she suddenly felt a wave of emotion, which brought tears to her eyes as she smiled at the people surrounding her.

"I love you guys!" She shouted over the noise of the party to Ron and Harry.

"Oh Merlin's beard. Drunk Hermione has arrived already." Ron shouted back with a smirk.

It was at this moment that she thought she saw a hazy flash of blonde across the room.

DM

As soon as the four Slytherins stepped foot in the classroom, the silencing charms receded and they were hit with the sounds of the party.

"Who would have thought that bushy-haired nerd knew how to throw a party?" Pansy sneered as she scanned the room.

"You don't really think it was her, do you? No way. It was that little ginger Fox, for sure." Harper replied as he looked round the room, clearly looking for someone. Almost immediately spotting his intended subject by the punch table, he popped open his mead and took a swig. "Speaking of the little devil, I must pay my compliments to the host. Be rude not to." He saluted the trio before making his way over to Ginny.

Behind them, Luna had handed the cake over to Susan Bones, who was placing it carefully in the middle of the food table.

"Would you guys care for any refreshments?" Luna asked as she approached the three remaining Slytherins. She motioned for them to follow her around the edge of the dance floor towards the refreshment table. Pansy strutted after Luna like she owned the place, causing Blaise to roll his eyes at Draco, before they followed on.

As they approached, Luna levitated a drink in front of each of them, which they both sniffed before accepting.

"Don't worry," she said, with a little smile, "it's not poison. It's just lilac wine."

Draco took a sip of his wine and was pleasantly surprised at the lightly floral taste. He would, of course, be seeking out some fire whisky before the night was through, but this would certainly do for the moment.

"So." Luna's voice pulled Draco from his thoughts. "Draco, Blaise. Have you… slept with any particularly nice girls lately?" Luna asked nonchalantly in her soft Irish lilt, causing Draco to spit out the sip of lilac wine he had just taken.

"I'm sorry?" Draco said, not used to being taken by surprise. Blaise burst out laughing.

"Oh, was that too personal?" Luna asked. "I apologise. I didn't want to ask about schoolwork or Quidditch when we're at a party. And I wasn't sure what other hobbies you both had."

"Other hobbies? Other than what?" Draco continued.

"Well. It's no secret that you both enjoy a fair bit of female company. To an outsider, it would appear to be one of your favourite ways to pass the time."

"You're not wrong. Do you disapprove, Lovegood?" Blaise asked, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"On the contrary," she said, shrugging, "what's our final year for if it isn't to have a bit of fun." She responded calmly. Draco and Blaise caught each others' eyes.

"Well, well, Lovegood. I didn't have you pegged for such a dark horse." Blaise responded, earning another unbothered shrug from Luna. Before their conversation could continue, Draco felt a hand brush over his arm. He turned to find the Ravenclaw Blaise had pulled last week slipping past him. Potion-blonde hair and tits pushed up to her chin. She wasn't easy to forget. She shot Draco a loaded smile, before reaching Blaise and snaking her arms around his body.

"Oh, hello Amelia. Are you enjoying the party?" Luna smiled politely at her housemate, which made Draco smirk. The two girls couldn't be more different, it was strange to think of them having enough in common to be sorted into the same house.

Amelia outright ignored Luna and got on her tiptoes to press a kiss on Blaise's cheek and whispered a breathy "hello you." She pushed her body up against him. Pansy, who had just rejoined the group, raised her eyebrows at the girl, before sharing a sneering look with Draco. He could practically hear her thinking: and who is this absolute tramp? Amelia's chest was now pressed up against Blaise's body. And Pansy did not like to compete for the Slytherin boys' attention. "I haven't seen much of you since last weekend babe. Have you missed me?" Amelia continued, still seemingly ignoring the rest of the group.

Blaise cleared his throat. "I've been pretty busy, you know. Schoolwork and Quidditch practice doesn't leave me much time during the week for…extra curricular activities." He said, with a slight frown. Draco knew exactly what he'd be thinking. They didn't normally sleep with girls more than once, not unless they were an exceptional shag. Surely Amelia knew that, they did have a formidable reputation, after all.

"Well, maybe you'll have some free time this weekend. I had that thing I wanted to show you. Remember." Amelia asked, raising one eyebrow suggestively. "With my tongue."

Oh wow, real subtle, Draco thought to himself, before biting back a laugh when he saw Pansy's face. If her eyebrows raised in shock any further, they might just fall off her head. He looked round at the rest of the group, and saw that Lovegood's smile had faltered just a little. Not that anyone else would notice, she hid it very well. Draco often found that most people weren't perceptive enough to spot small changes, especially in those who were as emotionally intelligent as Lovegood. Am I…mentally complimenting Looney Lovegood? What the hell is in this wine? Draco thought to himself.

"Yes, your description was…hard to forget. I also remember you refusing to leave my dormitory until I agreed to see you again." Blaise replied, clearly desperate to get rid of this clinger-on.

Laughing off the slight, Amelia replied with, "you won't regret another night with me. I promise."

Thankfully, this increasingly uncomfortable exchange was interrupted by a tray of shots that floated into the group. Draco plucked two off, one for him and one for Pansy, while Luna plucked off the same.

"Ooh, I created these shots, I call them 'nargle-dodgers'," she exclaimed, as she handed the two drinks to Blaise and Amelia. Pansy and Draco had taken theirs smoothly before putting the empty glasses back on the tray, only to watch them being magically refilled. Blaise muttered a thanks.

"You really need to work on your names, Lovegood," Pansy said sharply before knocking back the drink, "and the recipe," she added with a disgusted face.

"Right, I'm off." Draco announced, as he chucked the rest of his wine down his throat and pounced off from the group.

"Wait, Draco, where are you going?" Pansy called after him.

Draco looked around as he passed through a congregation of couches on one side of the room. He tried to avoid the claws of some of the Slytherin girls, who looked like they were in Astoria's year, and the wary looks that the students from other houses shot him. He strode towards the other side of the room, where the food table was. It had been a long week, and the last thing he wanted right now was to be sociable with a bunch of Ravenclaws, Gryffindors or Hufflepuffs. He decided he would fill his stomach and then call it a night. Spotting his favourite dessert, lemonberry tart, he grabbed a serving and looked round for somewhere to eat in peace. Now that he saw the calibre of food on offer, he could find it in himself to grace this party with his presence just a little longer. He saw an archway leading to a smaller room, and realised that was where the floating trays had been appearing from throughout the night.

Well, if I am going to stay a little longer, I'll need a drink to get through it, he thought to himself, as he made his way towards the archway.

He was half expecting to find a team of house elves brewing away in there, so he was surprised to find that all-too-familiar bush of brown hair. Granger was standing over a small table laden with a selection of alcoholic bottles. She was throwing different liquids into a big pitcher. Draco sighed quietly to himself, of course she'd be in the one place he'd wanted to go.

"I've been to my fair share of parties," he said, "many of which have been in honour of me. So I'm pretty confident that the witch of the hour isn't supposed to be sequestered away in a dark corner."

Her head whipped round in shock when he started speaking. But, when she saw Draco leaning in the doorway, arms folded across his body, his head nearly grazing the top of the doorway, she smiled, then turned back to her potions. Draco frowned, that wasn't the reaction he was expecting.

"If you must know, I'm taking over creation of the shots since Harry shirked his duties to dance with Ginny," she said as she looked around distractedly. "Now, where's a stirrer?" She muttered to herself. She then clearly remembered she was a witch, and reached for her wand, before sticking it in the pitcher.

"Granger, what are you doing?" Draco said, shooting her a look that made it clear he thought she was deranged. He walked over to the bench to observe more closely.

"If you've come here to judge and berate me, I'd like to remind you that I am the birthday girl, and you're here to celebrate me." She said sternly, placing her hands on her hips.

"Have you been breathing in the fumes of whatever ghastly concoction you're brewing Granger? You seem to be under the impression that I actually like you enough to care about your birthday. Pansy dragged me here under false pretences." Draco watched Granger falter in front of him, the glint in her eyes disappearing.

"Right," she said, focusing her attention back on the drinks in front of her. A heavy, awkward silence filled the room, and Draco found himself unsure of what to say. This wasn't a feeling he was familiar with nor fond of. He shook it off, and watched as she picked up a bottle of fire whisky and poured a healthy measure into the unidentifiable clear liquid in front of her. She continued, picking up a vial of pink pea flower extract and slowly emptied the entire bottle. The concoction immediately turned a vibrant pink.

Draco found himself entranced watching her. There was something so… graceful, about the way she carefully crafted the drinks. When he realised he was staring, he shook himself again. These drinks must be stronger than he thought, he wasn't himself tonight. "What exactly are you making?" He asked, feeling sceptical about the shade of pink it had turned.

"I'm…I'm actually not sure." Granger admitted, tilting her head to look at the vial in her hand. "It was meant to be a pink bramble shot. But… it kind of looks like a pink unicorn threw up."

"I have no idea how you're in Advanced Potions with skills like that." Draco mused, earning a glare from Granger. He ignored the intrusive thought that he had actually been impressed by her. "Have you even tried it?"

"Not yet." She said, then proceeded to fill a shot glass, and pushed it towards him.

"You've got to be joking." He replied, eyeing the glass suspiciously.

"I thought you were the connoisseur of these things." She said, thrusting the shot at him once more. "Unless, of course, your masculinity is too fragile to drink a little pink drink." At that, he scoffed, and grabbed the glass from her hand. "This has nothing to do with my masculinity, and everything to do with your mixology capabilities."

"Of course it does." She bit back.

With that, he took the ladle and poured another, before even drinking the first. Staring straight into her eyes, he held the glass out, silently challenging her. "If I have to be subjected to this, then so must you." She stared intently into his eyes for a moment. Draco felt uncomfortable with the lingering silence, so reached over to click the glass in her hand with his own. "Bottoms up." He said firmly, pushing her hand towards her face, as he did the same to his own.

After a deep breath, they both downed the concoctions, before spluttering. Draco was sure his face mirrored Granger's pinched up look.

"Bleh! That is truly disgusting!" She exclaimed.

"You're telling me! What in Merlin's balls did you put in here?!" He shouted back in response. certain that was the worst thing he had ever tasted.

"Honestly, I was just kind of focused on making it a fun colour. But we can't possibly serve this." She wailed, frantically looking at the bottles in front of her.

"Wait a minute…" Draco said as he watched the flustered Gryffindor turn every single bottle around to look at the labels and ascertain which culprit was responsible for this travesty. "Please don't tell me you used every single one of those bottles Granger?" Draco frowned as he picked up a particular bottle labelled matured gooseberry liqueur.

"I…might have." Granger said, biting her lip sheepishly. Draco's eyes tracked down to her mouth.

"Honestly. A first-year could have crafted something better. This is probably harmful to consume." Draco chastised her.

He was waiting for the retort from Granger, so he jumped a little in surprise when she started hysterically laughing. "You're right Malfoy. I should get kicked out of all my advanced classes for producing such a travesty of a concoction. And people say I'm the brightest witch of my age! If only they could see me now. Flustered and babbling, showing my biggest weakness to my greatest competition." The more she spoke, the funnier she found the situation.

Draco raised a suspicious eyebrow as he watched the babbling witch. "You weren't… tasting the potion as you created it, were you Granger?"

"Oh." She giggled. "Now that you mention it, I did take a couple of sips as I went along. I just wanted to make sure it turned out okay. Fat lot of good that did.. Oh my Godric. Only I could ruin a birthday party. That's what everyone will be saying, classic Hermione Granger, doesn't know how to have fun." Without warning, Granger's previously annoying drunk laughter turned into light sobbing, which quickly deteriorated into hysterical crying.

Draco took a step back, he was not equipped to deal with this. "Er…" he stuttered. "You… alright there, Granger?"

"I'm fine Malfoy. It's okay." She said, seemingly trying to convince herself that she was okay as well. "Go and enjoy the party, please. Tell everyone more drinks will be on their way very soon." Granger said between sniffles. She began chaotically rifling through the bottles, looking for ingredients to create a second batch.

Draco pinched his nose and took a deep inhalation of breath. Who in Salazar's name did I piss off to end up spending my final year of Hogwarts constantly babysitting a drunk Hermione Granger? He thought to himself. This was becoming far too common an occurrence for his liking.

"Right, Granger, stop." He finally said, just as she knocked over a bottle of fire whisky. He couldn't bear to see anymore alcohol wasted by Granger, especially not fire whisky. If he let her continue, she would only spill more or create another drink that should be punishable with time in Azkaban. "I can't watch this sacrilege any more. Step aside."

Pushing up his sleeves, he retrieved his wand from his pockets and cast a quick scourgify spell on the cauldron, ridding it of its near-venomous contents. He perused the bottles available and grabbed a couple he was familiar with.

He was conscious of Hermione's eyes, watching his every move. Thankfully, her crying had mostly subsided, and she just sniffled every few seconds. Which was equally irritating, Draco decided.

Doing his best to ignore the sniffling Gryffindor, he continued pouring bottles at ease, measuring by his eye. After a few minutes of careful crafting, he dipped a long finger into the potion and licked his finger. He smiled. Perfection, of course.

"Try it, Granger." He said, passing her the ladle. "Just a small drop though. You're already way past your limit."

Hermione took a sip of the pale golden liquid and her eyes widened. "It's incredible Malfoy. How did you manage that with the same ingredients I had?!"

"A little something called 'more is less', Granger. Refinement. You might like to try it some time." He said, before striding his way out of the kitchen.

HG

"Hermione! These cocktails are absolutely insane!" Ginny squealed in delight when she took a sip from the newly filled floating tray. "Is there anything you can't do?"

"Wow, Hermione. These are invigorating." Luna, who was standing with Blaise, called, as Draco rejoined the pair. "You must give us the recipe!"

"Well, actually..." Hermione began, before she was interrupted by Draco.

"Fine, Granger, I'll give it to you. You're okay at brewing cocktails. But I'm still better at Alchemy than you." He shouted across the room, earning a sprinkling of laughter from across the now quite drunk party.

Hermione blinked, unsure of how to respond or what was happening. She was absolutely furious with herself for that drunken display in the kitchen. It was no secret that she was an overly emotional drunk at the best of times, but she had no idea where that outburst had come from.

She had been feeling overwhelmed that week, she had to admit. The workload this year was tough and she didn't feel completely in control. She hated to fail. And failing in front of Draco Malfoy was just not something she'd been able to cope with.

And now this. Him, giving her credit for his exceptional cocktail. In front of everyone? She didn't know what to think, but she experienced a wave of gratitude towards the Slytherin.

A wave of gratitude that disappeared two seconds later when she looked back over to where he was running his hand inside some Ravenclaw girl's shirt. Pig, she thought to herself. He probably had some weird ulterior motive for helping her. Now she owed him a favour. Ugh, of course, that had to be it. She had to stop drinking so much, it clouded her judgement.

"Hermioneeeee," Ginny called from the dance floor. "Why do you look like you're thinking sooo hard about something? It's your birthday! Take the night off. Have some fun! Dance with me." She squealed.

"You're right. Let's have fun." Hermione shook herself, downed one of Malfoy's perfect cocktails, and ran over, just as 'Can You Dance Like a Hippogriff?' by the Weird Sisters came on. Everyone started jumping and screaming, as the high-paced number lured everyone to the dance floor. Hermione looked around, beaming, as she joined her friends dancing and shouting the lyrics in each others' faces.

She was so busy having a good time that she didn't even notice Malfoy disappearing from the party, his arm snaking around the Ravenclaw.