Belle attends Slughorn's party

Ginny led the group down a hall. Belle couldn't say where they were going precisely, but she kept close to Ginny who felt like her one lifeline in this strange new place. Belle was highly conscious of Ron's presence and didn't know what to make of him.

She shot glances towards him every so often. He was tall and thin, with a long nose and skin covered in freckles. His flaming red hair matched Ginny's shade exactly. He wore dark green robes. Dress robes she supposed. She supposed he was good-looking.

Belle recalled the way his lips felt on hers. It hadn't been pleasant. It had been startling and strange. Foreign. Invasive. His lips had demanded reciprocation and nothing in her had wanted to give it. Perhaps it was only because she hadn't expected it. Had never kissed before. Maybe if he truly was her boyfriend, she would have welcomed it.

Unbidden, Belle thought of the man she'd seen earlier. The one that Ginny hadn't liked. The one she said that this Ron and Harry didn't like. Draco Malfoy. The handsomest man she'd ever seen. Her dream Prince Charming. If he had been "her boyfriend" would she have resisted the kiss? She wasn't sure.

Ginny opening the door and leading them into what looked like an empty classroom startled Belle from her thoughts. Ginny looked around the room as if inspecting it for something. Ginny turned to Harry, a warmth in her eyes that Belle hadn't seen earlier, "Do you have your map with you by chance?" she asked him.

"Ah, no," said Harry. "I didn't think to bring it. I came straight from training and was in a bit of a hurry."

"No worries," said Ginny. "It's not as if I asked you. I thought it might be helpful right now to check and see if we had any unwelcome company in the room."

Unwelcome company? Belle glanced around startled. What might that mean?

Seeing Belle's startled expression, Ginny said to her, "We have plenty of ghosts in the castle that are busybodies and like to turn invisible."

Belle nodded. Ginny had pointed out the ghosts to her when they'd passed them in the hallways. The silverly beings that looked exactly like a human, except they were transparent. The ghosts fascinated her rather than scared her as she might have expected.

"Why did you explain that to Hermione?" Ron asked, bemused. "Shouldn't she be the one explaining that to us?"

Ginny sighed. "Well, that's why I wanted to talk to you before we got to Slughorn's party. This is not Hermione." At their shocked faces, she launched into an explanation of the situation.

Throughout Ginny's explanation, both men's eyes darted towards Belle. They asked questions, not thoroughly convinced that Belle was, in fact, not Hermione.

"Look," Ginny said, exasperated. "Why don't you try asking her something only Hermione would know."

The two of them thought for a moment.

"What did I do to open the Chamber of Secrets?" Ron asked Belle.

"The what?" Belle asked, perplexed.

"How did you figure out that the basilisk moved through the pipes?" Harry asked, following Ron's line of questioning.

"A…basilisk? Is that what you said? Are those real?" Belle dimly remembered reading about basilisks in a book. They were monstrous creatures. "And pipes?"

"Why can't people Apparate inside Hogwarts?" Ron asked.

"Um…" Belle said.

"When are you going to start 'spew' again?" Harry asked.

"Excuse me?" Belle asked, even more perplexed. Why would she start spewing? Maybe she didn't understand him right.

"Hermione would never miss the chance to tell you that it's not spew," Ron commented. He launched into a high-pitched female imitation, "It's not spew, Harry, it's the Society for the Promotion of Elvish Welfare."

Harry whistled. "I'm impressed you remembered what that stood for."

Ron chuckled. "It gets me points if I remember things like that." Then he started, looking at Belle. "I kissed you," said Ron looking horrorstruck. "And you're not even Hermione."

"Oh crap, you kissed her?" Ginny asked.

"Wow, you didn't even notice?" Ron griped. "So wrapped up in my best friend that you couldn't be bothered to notice anything else?"

Harry cleared his throat. "Anyway… what do we do now?"

Ginny shot him a grateful smile. "We help Belle here fit in as long as possible. We help her learn to assume the role of Hermione. We teach her about magic. We tell her about what's happened in the world so far. And we hope that she and Hermione work out a way to switch back."

Harry and Ron nod slowly. "We hope that they work out a way to come back?" Ron asked.

"We don't know much about this spell. And Dumbledore's portrait said that the only people who can undo it are the ones involved," Ginny swallowed, bracing herself for her next words. "What if Hermione doesn't want to come back?"

Belle felt a collapsing in her chest at Ginny's words. She needed to go back. She needed to make sure her father was okay. "But what about me?" she asked quietly to one in particular.

"What did you say?" Ginny asked Belle.

"I said, 'What about me?" Belle said more loudly. "I need to go back to make sure my father is all right."

Ginny took her hand. "It'll all work out," she said, seeming to say it more herself than for Belle.

"Now, we need to go to this party and not raise suspicion," Ginny continued. "Act normal and be on the lookout for ways to help Belle fit in as Hermione."

Ginny led the way out of the classroom and Harry took the place at her side before Belle could claim it. A rush of irritation swept over her, but then she saw the way Ginny looked at Harry and couldn't begrudge Ginny this time with her love. Belle wondered what it felt like to feel that way about someone. Did Hermione feel this way about this Ron person she now walked beside?

Belle couldn't imagine someone like Ginny who clearly loved Harry very deeply would ever try to switch places with someone else. Belle wondered then if Hermione felt trapped in her relationship. If she felt trapped in her world. Belle understood that feeling all too well. For the first time, she sympathized with her latest captor.

Perhaps instead of being stolen from her old world, she'd been given a chance to start something new.

"So…uh…how do you like it here?" Ron asked Belle, clearly trying to make conversation.

"Oh, no one's asked me that," Belle admitted. She thought for a moment. "It's all so new but it's fascinating. I never knew there was a place like this before. Where someone could come and learn magic. I'd heard of enchantresses and sorcerers but had never known they were real."

"There are magic schools all over the world," Ron told her. "It's strange being the one to tell you things. Usually, you're the one bossing us and telling us facts about everything you think we need to know, whether we actually care about it or not."

"Ginny told me that Hermione loves to read," Belle said.

"Yes, she lives in the library," Ron said. "She's always carrying about ten books around with her and can quote any of them with perfect detail."

"What about you?" Belle asked. "Do you like to read?"

From ahead of them Ginny burst out laughing. "Ahahaha! Ron? Reading!" Ginny guffawed. "When I see the day that Ron actually reads something for fun, I'll kiss Buckbeak!"

"Hey! I do read," Ron protested. "Harry, tell her about that book I got you last year." Then Ron's ears reddened. "On second thought, maybe not."

Harry laughed at Ron's expression. "Ron reads…sometimes. When the subject matter directly interests him," he said, jumping in to back up his friend. "Did you ever read any of those Chudley Cannon books you got me as gifts?"

Ron scratched his neck. "They looked interesting from the cover," he mumbled, admitting he didn't read them.

Ginny laughed again. "He doesn't read," Ginny said. "I'm not entirely sure he knows how."

"I graduated from Hogwarts, thank you very much," Ron said.

"On a technicality," Ginny said. "They gave you, Harry, and Hermione the choice to finish school based on 'services to the wizarding world.'"

"True, well, I took my chance and left," Ron admitted. "I'm not weird like Hermione who wanted to do even more school. It's not my forte."

"What is your forte?" Belle asked, curiously, wanting to get to know her supposed boyfriend and understand what Hermione saw in him.

An uncomfortable silence fell as they continued walking down the hall. Belle noticed that Ron's ears had gotten pink. She wondered if she'd accidentally stumbled upon a touchy subject.

"I don't really have one, besides being friends with and related to extraordinary people," Ron muttered looking down at his feet as they walked.

"Ron's the glue that holds everything together," Ginny murmured from ahead of them. "Plus, he's funny, brave, and reliable."

Ron looked startled at his sister's praise and stared at the back of her head in shock.

"I'll only say this once, you know, since Belle hasn't had the extreme misfortune of getting to know you," Ginny winked at him from over her shoulder.

"Ron's the best friend you'll ever have," Harry chimed in. "He's saved my life so many times I can't even count anymore."

"Yeah, yeah, all right, thanks," Ron said, waving away their praise. "Luckily we're here and I'll be spared you trying to make me feel better."

They had indeed reached a door where, from behind it, Belle could hear music and cheerful voices. She started to feel very nervous.

Ginny whispered to her, "It'll all be fine. Just follow our lead. You can always pretend like you're tired. Or you can pretend like you're thinking about some book."

Belle nodded, feeling full of trepidation.

Harry sighed. "Let's not stay too long anyway," he muttered. "I only agreed to come so I had an excuse to come see you."

Ginny smiled. "Sure," she said. "Probably for the best."

Harry opened the door and led the way into the room. It was full of people, but somehow an extremely fat man appeared out of nowhere from the crowd and yelled, "Harry! M'boy! Good to see you." He took Harry's hand and shook it vigorously. He spotted Ginny, "And Miss Weasley! Miss Granger" He gave Ginny and Belle a small bow. "I missed you and Miss Granger in class today. Where were you?"

"Apologies, Professor Slughorn," Ginny said. "We had last-minute business with the headmistress."

"Oh yes, I did receive her note," said the large man called Professor Slughorn. "Now that you mention it, I do recall."

He hadn't acknowledged Ron at all, who shifted on his feet looking put out. "Ah! And young Ralph," Slughorn said. "It's good of you to come as well."

Ron's ears had deepened to a dark shade of red. "Erm, Professor," Harry said. "It's Ron."

"Ah yes, Ron," Professor Slughorn corrected. "Apologies, I'm getting old you know. Come! Have a drink!" He grabbed onto Harry's arm with a vice-like grip and pulled him across the room.

"Some things never change," Ginny said to Belle. "Professor Slughorn wants to show off to everyone that he knows Harry."

Indeed, they'd hardly made it a few feet before Slughorn had introduced Harry to someone along with the others. "These three," he kept saying to people gesturing at Ron, Harry, and Belle, "Saved the world from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

Belle found that in this group setting she didn't need to say much. No one seemed to expect it from her and, for that, she was grateful. Faces started to blur together until suddenly she found herself alone in a room full of people.

Startled, she looked around for Ginny and the others. She spotted a flash of red hair, but it was only Ron talking to someone he seemed to know. Ginny and Harry were nowhere in sight.

"Looking for your friends?" asked a snide voice from her side.

Belle jumped and turned to find Draco Malfoy, the man she'd met earlier today. Her heart sped up. He looked handsome in his dark green and silver dress robes. They looked as if they'd been tailor-made for him, accentuating his body in just the right way.

Belle nodded, scared to speak and give herself away.

"That Weasley girl and Potter snuck off somewhere to undoubtedly 'catch-up,'" he said putting emphasis on the last term to make it clear he most certainly did not think they were talking. "And it looks like you see Weasley, but for some reason you're not hanging around him. Why is that?"

Belle shrugged. Again, not wanting to speak and praying that someone rescued her.

"I've been watching you all night," Draco continued. "I thought there was something off about you this morning and you're still acting strange. What is it?"

Suddenly, Ron appeared at her side. "Malfoy," he said. "Why are you here?"

"Didn't your girlfriend mention that I've taken up a teaching post here?" Draco said with a sneer.

Ron looked at Belle. "No, she did not," Ron admitted grudgingly. "You're not important enough to come up in our communications."

"Interesting," Draco mused. "Or she didn't want to tell you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked, annoyed.

"Tut-tut, I won't say if she won't say," Draco teased.

"Shove off, Malfoy," Ron said. "Let's go, Hermione."

He took her hand and pulled her away. Belle risked a glance over her shoulder at Draco who watched her walk away, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Why were you talking to him?" Ron demanded once they'd gotten out of earshot.

Belle did not like the hostility in his tone. "Why shouldn't I? I found myself alone and he came to talk to me," she said.

"You need to be careful around him," Ron said. "He's sneaky and would likely send word back to his family so they can exploit this information."

"Who's sneaky?" Harry asked, coming up to them with Ginny in tow.

"Malfoy," Ron said. "He here."

"Really?" Harry asked, looking around. "Wonder why."

"Apparently, he's teaching here and these two failed to mention it," Ron gritted out.

"Did I? Oops," said Ginny. "I assumed Hermione mentioned it to you."

"She did not," Ron said bitterly.

"Maybe Hermione assumed that Ginny told the both of you. And in that way, they both assumed incorrectly," said Belle reasonably. "In any case, why would it be so dangerous for me to talk to him?" She eyed Ron, taking in his hostile pose. "Like I said to Ron, he approached me. And for the record, I didn't say anything."

This was the most Ron and Harry had heard Belle talk so much. "Her voice is different somehow," Harry mused.

"Probably for the best you don't say too much," Ron said.

Belle didn't like the sound of that. Not being able to talk? To voice her opinions? What kind of life was that?

Belle turned to Ginny. "I know I'm already asking a lot of you," Belle said. "But maybe you can help me learn how to speak more normally so I fit in better."

Ginny squeezed Belle's hand. "Of course," she said, releasing it.

"I think Malfoy has changed," Harry mused. "I wouldn't trust him completely; he helped us in the end. And his mother did save my life."

"A basilik fang never loses its venom," Ron said darkly. "Just because he's done some good things, doesn't mean we should forget all the awful things he did before."

"We all changed in the war," Ginny said. "This current situation we're in," she gestured towards Belle, "has made me acutely aware of that."

They all fall silent, the others looking at Belle with mingled sadness and confusion. She shifted uncomfortably. She knew they missed their friend and likely felt lost without her.

"Let's eat," Harry said suddenly. "That's why we came to find you. I'm starving."