Because you'll like it.

Because You'll Like It. 1

Hermione walked into the room of requirements with a very specific look in mind. She needed something calm but bright, festive yet not too cheery, and intimate but not too small for all the eighth years that evening.

She had made it her special project over summer that while everyone was working on rebuilding Hogwarts to its former glory, she would work to make the room of requirement fully functioning once more. A task that took hours of research, burns, and not that she would admit it to anyone, a fair amount of guessing.

But it had worked, she knew that the students of Hogwarts would always need a room just like this, somewhere just to escape even just for a little while. Which brought her to the present, fixing up the room for the eighth year's first party ever. It had already been two months since the school year had started and the tension in the new dorms with the remaining Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and Slytherins (much to everyone's surprise) Slytherins was enough to make Hermione's hair stand on end.

The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were mostly resigned with only a slight bit of animosity rolling off them whenever a Slytherin waled passed. But the remaining Gryffindors were all bombs waiting to go off and she had enough of it.

Hermione shook the thoughts from her head as she conjured a table on the far left side of the room. It had been a challenge to get everyone to agree to a party but it was the only thing she could think of that would help bring everyone together.

She transfigured glasses and bowls and started pulling food out of her beaded bag along with a healthy amount of Firewhisky. She hoped that if everyone was relaxed with enough alcohol they'd see that they could get over years of pain, torment, and general dickisness.... Merlin what was she thinking?

She turned to the middle of the room and asked for a big plush rug, and an assortment of arm chairs, and bean bags in a circle. They popped up as soon as she had the though, the room eager to please the girl who worked so hard to nurture it back to health.

If there was only one area to sit hopefully that meant people couldn't group off or get out of spending time together. They would get along even if Hermione had to pull them by the ear and stick their arses on the furniture! She couldn't take balancing on a knifes edge anymore just waiting for something (or someone) to blow up.

She cast a quick tempus charm, seeing that people should be arriving any minute. Hermione wondered, rather belatedly if the Slytherins would come. Walking up to the group had take all of her Gryffindor courage not to cow when they all glared her way earlier that day.

They had been sitting around the fir in the new common room, Parkinson, Zabini, Nott, Goyle, and of course, Malfoy. The first three sat on a small couch, a coffee table filled with books and parchment in front of them. Goyle sat on the floor at one end of the table while Malfoy sat in a deep brown leather chair closest to the fire.

He had an air of nonchalance as his long fingers tapped the arm rest. Lean body stretched out, relaxed and yet laid in a way that made him look ready to spring into action at any moment Fire light glinted off his hair, his eyes, his lips, giving his whole visage an orange hue. The reminder of orange snapped her out of where that was leading, she shouldn't have ever been noticing Malfoy like that. He was still vile and a coward and her and Ron had been good, well...mostly good.

Malfoy crossed his legs as she approached.

"Well, well, well, Granger. To what do we owe the pleasure?" He lifted an eyebrow in question.

The rest of the Slytherins had turned her way, their eyes narrowing and Hermione could've swore she heard a faint hissing, but maybe it was just her mind providing sound effects for the proverbial snake pit.

"I waned to invite you to a party." She said making sure to look at each of them showing she wasn't bothered by their unwelcoming glares.

"I didn't think you knew what a party was, Granger." An amused smile played on his lips, it made Hermione's belly button feel weird but she didn't dwell on it. She had things to accomplish.

"Look I get that we haven't all been friends-

"That's an understatement." Snorted Pansy.

Hermione sent her a glare of her own and continued. "But I think it would be a good idea for everyone to spend more time together and try to get past the past" She crossed her arms to show she was serious.

Zabini stared at her incredulously, "Past the past?"

"Yes! Everyone is on edge and we can't keep living in the same space hating each other! There's too much tension and we need to sort ourselves out." Hermione finished.

"I quite like tension" Malfoy spoke looking her in the eyes.

She rolled hers and huffed out "Room of requirements, tonight at half nine." She turned and walked out before Malfoy could stare into her eyes anymore.

Hermione walked to one of the arm chairs and sat down thinking about the weird feeling in her stomach when she had seen Malfoy. Sometimes when she was alone and she slid a hand down the front of her panties she got a feeling like that. She never felt it with Ron though.

She loved him, really, it's just that whenever they would kiss and he would slowly slide his hand up her thigh and palm at that spot between them she didn't feel anything. Obviously she felt his hand and she guessed it sort of felt good but it never even got close to the sparks she would feel when it was just her alone. Her fingers circling that bundle of nerves, her legs would shake and she would throb but even then it was never enough to have a distinct ending.

Hermione snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the door opening, Harry and Ron stepped through.

"You're early", she mused at the two boys.

"We overheard Padma saying you brought drinks and we had to come see for ourselves" Said Ron as he walked over and planted a kiss on her cheek.

She stepped out of his reach and walked to the table at the other end, sweeping her hand in a dramatic display. "Enough fire whisky to get everyone to like each other."

"Who are you and what have you done with my friend?" Harry asked.

She chuckled and then shrugged, "Honestly, I think we're going to need it, especially if the Slytherins show up."

"I cant believe you invited them 'mione" Ron whined as he walked over to her once more.

"Oh come on Ron, we're not the same kids we were during the war. It's time to move on so you will both behave, do you understand me?" She looked both of them in the eyes in a way that they knew meant punishment if they disagreed.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Fine, in that case we may as well get started!" He laughed as he poured all three of them a glass.

She took the glass throwing an arm around Harry's shoulders, "That's the spirit!"

All three of them downed their drinks and waited for more students to arrive.