The Birthday Party

Chapter 1

Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny made their way through a quieter than usual Diagon Alley. They had managed to fend off a very panicky Molly, but Hermione couldn't stop worrying that either they would get found out or that disaster would strike while they had their guard down, she kept looking around to check that no one they knew was around to see. They slipped into the Leaky Cauldron through the back entrance, Hermione taking up the rear and watching back down the wizarding shopping street. They wound their way between empty tables, avoiding eye contact with Tom, the barman, who was sure to recognise them all from previous stays at the hospitable inn.

Harry led them out onto the noisy London street and with a strange confidence that Hermione didn't expect led them to the Charing Cross station, apparently on instinct, as she knew he didn't really know his way around London. Ron and Ginny looked around in awe, Ginny seemed curious and excited, while Ron jumped at every strange noise. Hermione had to laugh as she observed her friends. The Weasley's continued to be marvelled at their first non-magical train journey.

'But, how does it, you know, go?' Ron asked as they travelled quickly out of London. Hermione attempted to explain about electricity, but he quickly lost interest and muttered something about not being like his father. Ginny watched the little digital displays above the seats stating whether they were reserved or not; her mouth slightly open.

'It's a lot like magic really, isn't it? I mean, the things muggles manage without it is quite amazing.' She whispered to Hermione, who merely chuckled. Ron had complained a great deal about having to travel the “muggle way”, due to Hermione's refusal to conjure a portkey.

'It'd be unauthorised and we'd get caught. No way.' Was her simple refusal, she didn't say any more about it and ignored Ron's frustrated mumbles of complaint. He had tried, not very subtly, to get his father to teach him how to do it over the last week together at the Burrow. Arthur had raised a suspicious eyebrow and probed a little to find out why he wanted to know. Ron had spluttered something incoherent and Arthur had brushed him off with a quick reassurance that they would learn the charm in their final year at Hogwarts. Needless to say, after that performance of Ron's it had been left to Ginny to get them the night away from the Burrow.

Hermione didn't know exactly what Ginny had said or done to swing it in their favour, but she suspected the story included reference to the birthday and the words 'parents' and 'chaperone'. Hermione was content to not know the full yarn, she guessed that there was enough of the truth in there to keep it believable, while also convincing Mr and Mrs Weasley that their children would not be at any risk.

They arrived at their destination a little after eight o'clock. Hermione pulled out the directions that Ernie MacMillan had given her, the village wasn't very big, it was just a few minutes walk to where they were going. They came to a halt at the open gates at the foot of a large, sweeping driveway that lead up to a magnificent house, quite unlike any house any of them had seen before. It was an old house, Elizabethan in architecture, with large sloping lawns down to the gatehouse and hidden from the road by a twelve foot tall hedge. The four friends began walking up the drive, Hermione noticed the absence of any cars. Before they'd got more than a few feet through the gates a loud crack from just behind them stopped them in their tracks, they span round to face the noise. Hermione breathed a sigh of relief as Fred and George bounded towards them from the shadow of the hedge

'Ha!' One of them cried as they approached with broad grins.

'What are you two doing here?' Ron asked, visibly annoyed.

'You know us, wouldn't dream of missing a party.' They set off up the drive, Hermione smiled reassuringly at Ron and followed them, as did Harry and Ginny. Ron took a moment then caught them up just before they reached the large, oak front door. There was muffled music and indistinct sound oozing from the house, George rang the doorbell, a few moments later the door swung open and the new arrivals were hit by a wall of sound, the sound of a lively party in full swing. Justin Finch-Fletchley greeted them with a drunken grin, bottle of butterbeer in hand.

'Hello, come in, come in!' He stood aside and ushered them into his house. Hermione walked over the threshold, her head craning to look around the entrance hall. The ceiling was incredibly high and the broad hallway lead into the house with a wide staircase curving up to the right. Fred and George charged forward towards the chatter and music, Ron was right behind them. Ginny and Harry thanked Justin for the invitation and made their way inside, looking around and talking together quietly.

'Hi Justin.' Hermione greeted him and gave him a quick hug, which he returned eagerly. Hermione knew Justin had a crush on her, she had realised about half way through the previous year of school, during their Arithmancy classes. She had tactfully chosen not to discuss it with anyone and hoped it would fade with time.

'Let me show you around!' He took her hand with his free one and set off, pulling Hermione along, butterbeer sloshing out of the neck of the bottle. Hermione giggled at the thought of magical drinks in this muggle home, especially when an overly large canary flew past her head to the whoops and laughter of a crowd of people, with Fred and George at the centre. Her whistle stop tour of Justin's lavish home included a kitchen so clean Hermione thought it had probably never been used; the largest lounge she had ever seen, complete with giant leather sofas and log fire; there was a large swimming pool at the back of the house, complete with a small but well dressed, hexagonal pool house with double glass doors. He pointed in the direction of the stable block and made some comment about his horse being down with laminitis which meant he was out of some competition or other, Hermione was somewhat distracted by the well kept gardens that extended almost as far as the eye could see past the pool area. Upstairs in the main house there were several good sized bedrooms, one clearly Justin's parents was the largest and most ornately decorated with plush fabrics and a romantic four poster king sized bed with red silk organza canopy. She was very impressed by the place, either Justin's mum had amazing taste or an amazing decorator.

'Where are your parents?' She asked as they left their bedroom. Justin smiled and chuckled.

'On holiday, in Venice.' Hermione's mouth dropped open.

'They went on holiday without you over your birthday?!' She couldn't believe it. Justin shrugged and headed back down stairs without a word. She followed, her mood somewhat subdued and made her way to the main party in the huge lounge. Everyone was there, most of her year and many others; Luna and a few others from her year that Hermione didn't know; Fred and George weren't the only ones there who had already left Hogwarts; Cho had come with a couple of her Ravenclaw friends, not, Hermione noted, Marietta Edgecombe. Hermione found Ginny and helped herself to a drink, determined to have fun.

It was a good hour later that anything overly interesting happened. The doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of more guests. Hermione didn't pay much attention, a trickle of people had been arriving all evening. She realised that this time was different when there were no cheers of greeting from whoever answered the door, rather a shout and some loud conversation in which the words “what the fuck are you doing here” could clearly be heard from where she was sitting. Along with a few others, Hermione stood up and moved towards the front door to see what was going on.

She was more than a little surprised, and obviously was not the only one, to see four familiar and unexpected faces, each looking uncomfortable to varying degrees. Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson and her giggling Slytherin pal Daphne Greengrass. It seemed that Ernie had opened the door, he stood defiantly in their way, although they didn't seem to be struggling to get in, Malfoy was looking away down the drive and clucking his tongue, it was clear he had no wish to be there.

Daphne seemed to be the most forthcoming, she was talking quietly but insistently to Ernie, Hermione couldn't make out what she was saying. A small crowd was gathering to watch the scene unfold and suddenly the circle broke as Padma Patil and her friend Morag McDougal pushed through. Padma took Ernie by the elbow and pulled him away from the door, towards Hermione, while Morag went to the four Slytherins and proceeded to chat and flirt with Blaise. Hermione kept one eye on them while listening intently to Padma.

'It's a bit embarrassing, but Morag's parents know Blaise's parents and so they've been friends for years and years, but now she fancies him and he's been flirting with her. Blah blah blah. So she asked him to come. I don't think she knew that lot would be with him though.' Hermione marvelled at how the girl was able to ramble on so without pausing for a breath. Justin appeared from the kitchen a moment later, apparently a bit more sober than the last time she'd seen him and after Ernie had explained things Justin puffed his chest out and cleared his throat.

'Well, I'm happy for them to come in. If they are. No trouble, Blaise, I want your word.' Hermione's eyes flicked from one to the other, catching Malfoy doing likewise, their eyes met briefly before resuming the metaphorical tennis match. It was a tense moment. Blaise stepped in through the door, gave a firm nod and extended his hand for Justin.

'You have it.' The words dripped off his tongue and Justin grasped and shook Blaise's hand without hesitation. The new arrivals made their way into the house to scowls and frowns and an eerie quietness not at all appropriate to a large party. Fred and George stepped in distracting the guests and getting the party back on track, as the Slytherins filed between the others, lead by Justin towards the kitchen to get drinks.

Hermione's eyes were drawn to Draco who took up the rear of the line, he was unusually quiet and the most uncomfortable she had ever seen him. He was dressed as he ever was when not in uniform; in smart, black, expensive clothes. As he passed by Hermione their eyes met again and she couldn't help but look into them, cold as they were, and feel drawn in by them. He fixed his eyes on her and his face turned nasty, it was a look she was used to but it just didn't seem to translate to his eyes, she wasn't afraid, she didn't look away, she held his eyes so that his head turned to keep eye contact as he passed by her. It was only when he reached the kitchen door that he turned away from her.

'Right, well that sort of ruined a good party, didn't it?' Harry mumbled from just behind Hermione. She turned to face him and smiled feebly.

'It's alright Harry, let's just forget they're here, eh?' She took his arm and lead him towards the dining room where Ginny and Luna were sat giggling. Hermione lifted herself onto the table next to Ginny.

'I know, but still..' Ginny tailed off at the arrival of Harry and Hermione.

'What? What were you talking about?' Harry asked, looking nervous. Hermione guessed he was worried they'd been talking about him.

'Oh nothing.' Luna said, dreamily. 'Just how delicious Blaise Zabini is.' Hermione laughed, Harry looked surprised followed by revolted.

'How can you think that about anyone in Slytherin?!' He shouted, a little too loudly. He shook his head and stormed off, muttering 'Girls.' under his breath. For a while Hermione sat with the girls, laughing and drinking, talking a fair amount about boys, it was a welcome opportunity to be girly, a side of herself she rarely indulged in.

By midnight the party had spread out across the downstairs of the grand house, the girls had made way for a game of poker that had broken out around the huge dining table, moving into the lounge. The most action was happening around the pool, Hermione found as she went outside, dodging running people and someone diving into the pool fully dressed. She peeked into the pool house to see people sitting and lounging across stacks of cushions; Harry and Cho looked rather comfortable sitting together in one corner whispering and flirting. She wandered back towards the house and entered through the kitchen where she found Pansy drooling all over Draco, to his apparent disinterest; and Fred and George laughing loudly as they concocted some sort of cocktail. Fred caught sight of her and bounded over, grinning manically and held a glass out to her filled with pinkish liquid.

'Here you go Hermione, drink this.' She eyed him warily.

'What's in it?' She asked, taking the glass and sniffing the contents. George joined them, taking a swig of the same coloured stuff from his own glass.

'Bit of this, bit of that.' He said jovially, 'It's fine, strong but none magical. No affects you shouldn't expect.'

'I never know what to expect from anything you two come up with.' She sniffed the glass again, judging it to contain schnapps of some kind and a definite whiff of pineapple. How bad could it be? She asked herself, with a shrug she took a large sip, it tasted good and Fred and George's faces lit up with glee, before they bounded away and began handing glasses of the stuff out to everyone they saw.

Hermione wandered back into the lounge and found Ginny and Luna engaged in conversation with Blaise, it looked quite serious but the two girls were almost visibly drooling, spoiling the intense effect of the huddle. Hermione continued to sip at her drink as she meandered between small groups and couples, some more lively than others and she couldn't help feeling a little left out. She found the stairs and climbed them slowly, her body beginning to feel heavy, she reached the top and made her way down a corridor, her hand running along the wall to keep her balance. She took the final swig of her drink and dropped the glass with a thunk to the thickly carpeted floor. Her hand found a door to her right, she grasped the handle and opened it, slipping into the dark room beyond. Not caring much where she was, she moved forward slowly, feeling her way, until her thighs hit a soft barrier, throwing her forward a little, her hands darted out in front of her and found a soft, flat surface, a bed. She flopped forward onto it, tiredness sweeping over her.

She didn't know how long she lay there, but sleep did not come. After some while she rolled over onto her back and stared up at the dark canopy above, she realised which room she was in but found she didn't care, the bed was so comfortable. She felt for a lamp beside the bed, her fingers carefully feeling their way across the polished surface of the bedside table, she found a lamp and moved her fingers up the stand, searching for a switch. She found it and flicked it, the room lit up with soft, amber light that made the deep reds and purples of the décor glow with warmth. She sank into the pillows and let her mind wander aimlessly, sluggishly, she felt foggy and slightly confused, it was a new feeling; she had never been this drunk before.

Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted as the door swung open and the sound of giggles and hushed voices made her start. In the doorway stood Draco, with a simpering Daphne behind him, he stepped into the room, his face hard suddenly. He stood and looked at her for a moment, while Daphne stomped her foot and crossed her arms over her chest.

'Draco. Let's find somewhere else.' She turned and made to set off down the corridor, Draco turned to follow her, but the door slammed shut in front of him, blocking his path. He spun to glare at Hermione, who watched in hazy confusion, half sitting up on the bed. He turned back to the door and yanked the handle, it didn't shift. He tried it again, harder. Hermione could hear Daphne banging on the other side and calling Draco's name. He pulled out his wand, pointed it purposefully at the door and called out in crisp tones,

'Alohomora.' Nothing happened. 'Alohomora.' He repeated, more firmly. Still nothing happened. Hermione slid off the bed and moved towards the door.

'Are we trapped in here?' She asked slowly. Draco looked at her incredulously.

'No, Granger, go ahead, open the door.' He held up his arm, inviting her to try. She tilted her head and cocked her eyebrow at him defiantly. Her head began to clear, she pulled out her wand, looked around the room and went to the window, that too would not open by hand or magic. She pointed her wand at one of the ties holding back the canopy to one of the posts of the bed, gave it a flick and the tie fell loose letting the canopy fall softly into place, hiding a corner of the bed.

'OK, so there's no problem with magic, the room itself is sealed.' Draco was watching her suspiciously, his hands on his hips. Hermione held her breath for a few moments, thinking hard, searching her muddy head for a plan. No such luck, her mind felt blank.

'Draco?' Daphne's voice called through the door, it was only then that Hermione noticed that she had gone quiet. 'Draco? Are you alright?' He huffed and leaned against the door.

'Yes. Fine. Can you try and find out what has happened?' He rolled his eyes, Hermione watched with interest, wondering what was going through his mind.

'All over the house, it's like this everywhere. All the doors are stuck.' Hermione moved forward, panic rising in her throat. She shot Draco an angry look and studied his face for his reaction, he was clearly surprised, which calmed her a little. 'What should I do, Draco?' Daphne called through the door. Draco huffed and ran his hands through his hair, Hermione watched his large, smooth hands and observed his face with his hair pulled back out of it. He had changed so much, she noticed, he looked so much older now, even than he had before they left Hogwarts for the summer.

'Go downstairs, find something to occupy yourself with, dammit, until this mess gets sorted out. There must be others out in the corridors.' He snapped finally. There was a quiet sniff from outside, Hermione wondered if Daphne was crying. Then she heard footsteps leading away from the door.

'That wasn't very nice. You could have asked her to try and get help.' A dangerous glint flashed over his face that made Hermione jump. After a moment she thought she understood what was going on with him, he didn't like the idea of depending on someone for help, or was it, he didn't like depending on a girl for help? She let out a snort, causing his head to turn to her and his eyes to search her own. Quickly she walked away and sat back on the end of the bed, something else then occurred to her and she looked back to him. Without thinking the words left her mouth before she realised it, 'Hang on, I thought you were with Pansy?'

Draco burst out laughing, not the reaction she was expecting. She was taken aback and flinched slightly.

'Hardly. She might fawn all over me, and I don't blame her. But it's not very attractive. As I believe you know.' Hermione's eyes widened, she couldn't think what he was getting at and simply waited for him to elaborate. 'It must be draining for you to have to fend off the Weaselbee and the Finch himself, both at once.' Hermione's gut reaction was anger at him for using such annoying nicknames for her friends, but that was quickly replaced by surprise that he seemed to know not only about the two boys and their crushes, but also her feelings. Her surprise must have shown in her face because he grinned wickedly and let out a snort of laughter.

Hermione took a breath to steady her temper.

'You are very observant, Malfoy, but, unlike you, I don't take pleasure in or use other people's feelings for me to my own advantage. I don't use people.'

'Don't kid yourself, Granger, everyone uses people, whether they care to admit it or not.' He moved across the room with his usual easy swagger and leaned against the wall, looking out of the window over the dark gardens. Angry and almost shaking Hermione threw herself back on the bed and rolled onto her side, turning away from him. She tried to steady her nerves by taking slow, steady breaths. It was going to be a long night.