Ultimatums

Chapter 10

Hermione woke up with agonising cramps. She'd started her period a month before, and Andromeda had given her Muggle drugs, because they were more effective. But she had run out, and Andromeda was out with Ted for the whole day before the ball. So Hermione rose, dressed and met her boys at the bottom of the girls staircase.

"Morning Mione!" Avery smiled, and Regulus grunted in greeting, his nose in the paper.

"Morning boys. Breakfast?"

The three made their way to the Great Hall, but when Hermione's eyes caught Lily's fiery hair at the Gryffindor table she was distracted. She excused herself, and made her way over to Gryffindors, only action that drew Regulus's attention from the Prophet, and he gaped as she walked over there confidently.

She ended up in front of Lily, a girl with sleek blonde hair and cornflower blue eyes and a smaller girl with large brown eyes and was practically drowning in freckles.

"Evans, can I borrow you for a moment? It'll be quick" she said, and Lily smiled and nodded, in comparison to Marlene McKinnon and Alice Fortescue, who looked positively shocked.

"Oh come on Evans! Her? First Snivellous, now her? Do you speak to the people you know will intentionally hurt me?" James shouted down the table.

"Not everything revolves around you Potter. Deflate that ego of yours and perhaps you'll be able to see that. C'mon Mione" Lily replied, linking her arm through hers and pulling her out of the room.

Once they were safely away from the hubbub of breakfast, Hermione blushed slightly "You don't have any Muggle drugs for cramps do you, Evans? I only ask as I'm going to the Seventh Year Ball tonight and I can't dance if I have an aching stomach"

Lily grinned "Sure, follow me up to Gryffindor tower, I'll grab them for you."

The pair walked together through the halls in an awkward silence, before Lily filled it, asking "So what are you wearing?"

"Well I found this gown, it's black, and strapless, and along the top are red flowers. At the waist, it explodes in tulle for the skirt, it's perfect for dancing in. The skirt has red flowers embroidered in, and I'll spell them in my hair and on to my black masquerade mask. For kind of a Persephone look"

"Wow that sounds lovely. I've never been to one before, Muggles don't do that sort of thing. So if you're going to be Persephone, who'll be your Hades?" Lily wriggled her eyebrows, laughing.

"I convinced Regulus to. It was awfully hard though, and trust me, it's not going to be as romantic as that story is. We're just friends" Hermione felt her cheeks prickle with incoming heat, so she changed the subject "You can come if you want. Snape is, I'm surprised he didn't invite you. He speaks the world of you, Evans"

Now it was Lily's turn to blush "Oh. Well... I don't think I have the robes for it..."

"Oh don't be silly, between myself and Narcissa we can find you something I'm sure of it. And I have some spare masks, as Regulus and Avery entrusted me to make theirs as well. It'll be fun."

"If you insist" Lily grinned and muttered the password for entry to the tower "Wait here. I'll get the pills and my finest robes just incase you can't fit anything to my size"

A few moments after Lily left, Sirius exited the portrait hole and almost crashed into Hermione.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, and Hermione was surprised by the lack of animosity in his confused voice.

"Just waiting for Lily."

"Evans? Since when are you friends with Evans?" Sirius leant against the wall, surveying her.