Don't Smile At Me

Chapter 8 - The End

Chapter 8: The End

Hermione walked to the kitchen to refill the punch bowl. The party had been going on for an hour or two now, and she was trying not to think about how Riddle still hadn't shown up. It was nearly 9 o'clock and everyone who was invited had come. Except for him. Still, she was having a fun time. It was hard not to whenever Fred and George came around. Those two were already on their third round of Butterbeers, maybe even something stronger. They had hung up mistletoe in random places and were currently pushing random people beneath it. They replaced several of the normal ornaments on the tree with joke ones from their new shop that sang bits of Christmas songs replaced with vulgar lyrics whenever they detected movement. They had also slipped in some of their "special" candy canes in with the bowl of normal ones, causing quite a shock with flavors like 'Earwax', 'popcorn', 'pepper', 'vomit', and 'stinky cheese' to name a few.

She heard a bit of a rise in volume in the living room and assumed it was just the twins with more of their shenanigans. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she turned and instead found Riddle standing in front of her, holding a tall bag in one hand.

"Tom! I almost thought you wouldn't come," she greeted him.

"I said that I would." He stated simply. He seemed unsure of himself, a bit uncomfortable. "I also brought this," he held out the gift. "I wasn't sure if I was supposed to bring anything." It was a bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey.

"Oh, thank you! I'm sure it will be much appreciated by everyone here." Hermione placed the bottle on the refreshment table. "Come, let me introduce you to everyone!"

He met the rest of the Weasley clan, sans Percy, Angelina, Lee, Lavender, Parvati, Fleur, Seamus and Dean. Fleur and Parvati looked a little too eager to be introduced to Hermione's liking, and she quickly steered him away from those two encounters. She decided to let him go off on his own for a bit, not wanting him to think that she was going to shadow him all night. She talked with the twins about updates with their shop, and happily watched them prank Seamus into opening a jack-in-the-box that scared him half to death and sprayed confetti everywhere. She had a strange conversation with Luna about Aquavirius Maggots that she happily passed on to Ron. Eventually, Hermione sought out Ginny, who was taking shots with Angelina.

"'Mione!" Ginny called when she saw her approaching. "Take one with us!" She shoved a shot glass filled with something strong into Hermione's hand.

"Oh, I don't really do shots," Hermione started.

"I saw you whisk Riddle away from Fleur faster than he could say 'hello' back."

Hermione downed it, wincing slightly at the burn. Ginny grinned at her.

"Gin, I don't know what to do," she sighed. "I haven't even known him for that long, yet I keep getting this feeling that I can't shake. He's made me feel every emotion under the sun in the span of a week!"

"Sounds like you need more alcohol in you," Angelina said, refilling her cup with more liquor. "I've never heard you talk about a man like this before in your life."

"He's just so- so- I don't even know how to describe it! He has this way of simultaneously making me want to slap him and laugh. He-"

"Drink," Ginny ordered, "before you keep rambling."

"Bottoms up!" Angelina called, and the three of them finished their second round.

"He stands for everything I oppose! But yet he somehow managed to flip that on its side today at the hearing. He hijacked the supermall plan and was fired from Borgin and Burke! Can you believe that?" Hermione was starting to feel a pit of warmth in her stomach as the shots kicked in. It felt good to let it out to someone else.