Chapter 10

"Granger, what in the bloody hell are you doing passing out with your door open?" A girl's voice grated harshly in her ear. "Are you trying to get raped?" Hermione grunted as someone pulled off her shoes and rolled her onto the bed.

"I swear to Salazar, this is my good deed for the year," the voice continued. Hermione's clothes softened as they were transfigured into pyjamas. Hermione made a little noise of contentment at that.

"Glad to know you are appreciating my efforts. Sweet Circe this room smells like my father's liquor cabinet. Did you get too drunk to remember how to cast a Scourgify and a Reficite? No, no, that's fine. Don't answer me. I honestly don't think I want to know what has you so upset that you are drunk by dinner on Friday night. I'd personally like to be drunk too, but that's off the table."

Hermione grumbled sleepily as she was levitated so that the blankets could be pulled back. She floated back to the mattress, but landed with a bit of a thud.

"Bloody hell," Hermione cursed, sitting up and squinting at the unwelcome light streaming in through her window.

"Parkinson? Why are you in my room?"

"You passed out with the door open. Witch code says that I can't let you leave yourself vulnerable like that, you could have been attacked." Pansy had her hands on her hips, her expression stern as though Hermione was the one who did something wrong.

Hermione blinked at her in confusion. "Witch code?"

"I swear no one teaches Muggleborns anything. You know don't let another witch be around an unsafe wizard without warning her. You don't go to Diagon Alley alone in the evening. You don't leave another witch passed out after over-imbibing where a wizard could mistreat her. Go out together, come home together. Things like that." Pansy rolled her eyes in annoyance as though this was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Parkinson, were you…concerned about my safety?" Hermione's eyes widened in shock.

"Granger, wizards can't be trusted." Hermione had never seen Pansy Parkinson look so solemn. "They are dangerous when given the opportunity to be. You need to be more careful. And your room smells like the Hogshead. Were you using Ogden's as a room spray?"

"How do you know about room spray?" Hermione asked in confusion, her muddled mind unable to follow the conversation. She had to be dreaming.

"Tracy shares muggle stuff with us sometimes. I prefer muggle lip gloss to the wizarding equivalent," Pansy admitted. "But seriously Granger, you are a heroine right now, someone would love to bring you down. You need to watch your back better."

"Constant vigilance," Hermione muttered to herself.

"What's that?" Pansy asked, eyebrow raised.

"Just something that Mad-eye Moody used to say, constant vigilance," Hermione sighed, pulling her blankets over her lap. "I seem to have forgotten how to do it. Thank you, Parkinson…Pansy…for making sure I was safe."

"Yeah, well don't go telling any wizards about it. They aren't supposed to know about Witch code," Pansy commanded sternly.

"I'd love to talk with you more about it, sometime, if you want." Hermione surprised herself by realising that she was having a relatively nice conversation with Pansy Parkinson who apparently liked muggle lip gloss and had levitated her into bed properly. Life just seemed to get stranger and stranger.

"As long as you promise not to discuss anyone's marriage contract prospects, that sounds fine with me," Pansy said heading towards the door. "Sleep well Granger."

The door shut behind her and Hermione fell back onto her pillows.

What the hell was that about? Had she fallen into an alternate universe?

...

The Slytherin boys had managed to take over the eighth year common room basically by default. They settled into the couches after dinner and when the Hufflepuffs saw them, they disappeared. The Gryffindors cursed a bit and Longbottom even looked longingly at the bottle of Ogden's that Blaise was pouring from, but they disappeared too. Ernie Macmillan had invited Tracy for a moonlit walk outside and the witch had excitedly gone with him. Daphne and Millicent had made comments about how they would like to get such an invitation, but when none of the wizards seemed to pay them much mind, they disappeared to their rooms as well.

Blaise sipped his drink, "It's not the same without Vince, is it? It was always the five of us."

"Let's have a toast then, to Vince," Greg said, with a melancholy smile. "He was a good friend. A bloody dumb arse, but a good friend."

"To Vince," the other wizards repeated, glasses raised.

Theo saw the haunted light in Draco's eyes and wanted to reassure him, but couldn't do it the way that Draco needed with an audience. Theo restricted himself to bumping Draco's knee with his own. Vince's death wasn't your fault, Theo wanted to say.

But it was Draco's eyes said accompanied by a sad half smile.

"Let's not get melancholy," Blaise said, catching Draco's expression. "I've got some good news, I'm taking Lovegood to Hogsmeade tomorrow. Thanks for suggesting her Theo, she's really quite witty despite the fixation on presumably extinct magical creatures. I suggested that she write children's books about them when she complained about their lack in the core Magical Creature texts. Writing is a good career for a wife, better than murder." The last was muttered, but all of them were close enough to hear. Blaise's mother was likely enough to turn her son off on the idea of marriage, but like so many of them he was the last of his House.

"She might make you so crazy you check yourself into Janus Thickey, but I can't see her killing you," Draco agreed.

"Definitely safer than any of the Slytherin girls," Theo threw out.

"Hey, Millie is a sweetheart," Greg stated in annoyance.

"Just watch out for her spending too much time with Daphne," Blaise pointed out. "That witch is something between a viper and a niffler."

Theo looked at Blaise in curiosity. Something must have happened between him and the Greengrass heiress for him to be speaking so uncharitably of her. He wondered what it was. Sipping his drink, he decided that he would find out later.

...

Drinking had gone on longer than Theo had wanted it to. He'd tucked a tipsy Draco into his bed, and rubbed his back until he fell asleep. Watching his mate sleep, Theo felt soothed for a while, but restlessness overwhelmed him. He switched to his black leather pants and pulled on his boots.

He stared longingly at his witch's door for a few moments before walking out through the eighth year common room. He carefully prowled through the castle, listening for Filch and Mrs. Norris as it was far too late for the Heads or prefects to be on patrol.

Taking the stars up to the Astronomy Tower, Theo opened the door and braced himself for the cold. He shivered involuntarily, but this had been what he was seeking after all. He needed to let loose a little.

Standing at the handrail for a little while, Theo basked in the brisk breeze that blew into his face. Unable to stand it any longer, Theo pulled off his jumper and shirt, shrinking them and tucking them into his pocket.

Wings with feathers the colour of the night sky outside unfurled from Theo's back and he climbed over the railing. He stood there for just a moment before he jumped, relying on his wings to carry him safely into the darkness.