The Erised Effect

Erised

"Absolutely fucking not, that's like a breach of my bloody privacy!"

Pansy scowled. Hermione could sense she was about to fight her argument, which she would no doubt win, but it was making Hermione feel slightly uncomfortable at the thought of going there with these particular boys.

"I'm with Blaise I'm afraid, it's a bit wrong, don't you think?" Theo huffed. "I'd feel all vulnerable and exposed..."

"I thought you were in to that sort of thing, Theodore..." Pansy sing-songed at him from her place opposite him, her face in her hands and looking at him expectantly. "I've heard you like being watched..."

The group around the table sniggered as Theo held up his hands, looking affronted. "Under normal circumstances I'm not opposed to an audience," he looked at Pansy pointedly. "As you very well know..." Pansy glared at him. "...but this is an invasion of the mind... it's digging around in someone's fantasies and finding out what they really think ... what makes them tick..."

"Exactly!" Pansy announced excitedly, banging her hands onto the table, and making everyone jump. "It's a niche market, and that is exactly why myself and Hermione want to trial it! Isn't that right, Granger?"

The boys all looked over at Hermione from their beer glasses expectantly, as if she held the power to stop Pansy and her wittering madness. She held her wine glass close to her, knowing that she was fully aware that she would never be able to stop Pansy once she was on a mission. Nobody could stop Pansy when she was on a mission.

Hermione knew the girl far too well now, having been in business with her for almost six years. It started small; an idea one night over dinner with Harry and Blaise who were working in the same department as each other at the time. Hermione and Pansy were there to add extra ambience but ended up being the forefront of the conversation that night.

Pansy had inheritance and an idea for a shop that she wanted to open. Hermione had business sense and a passion for making things successful. From the friendly banter they had struck up that night, 'Mi Amor' was created and neither of them had looked back since.

And as it turns out; the Wizarding World was full of kinky bastards who flocked to their little shop every day, whether it be to look through their selection of erotic books and magazines, tantalizing underwear or their vast array of potions and sexual enhancers. Pansy always ensured that there was something for everyone, and Hermione always ensured that the books were balanced out.

"Don't look at me," Hermione glared at the boys and put her hands up in surrender. They all knew Pansy far too well. "You know what she's like when she's on one..."

"Like a dog with a bone..."

Hermione shuddered internally as the low voice of Draco Malfoy met her ears. That voice... fuck, even his voice was affecting her now. Shit ... she daren't even look up at him. She'd managed to avoid looking in his direction all night, like she did every Friday night when their little group met up for after-work drinks.

It was an odd little collection of people, Hermione had to admit. After all, who would have thought that this combination of Gryffindor's and Slytherin's from their particular year group could ever get along like they did now? Blaise brought Theo into the mix, unfortunately for them all...something Blaise has never been allowed to forget.

Harry strangely enough was the one who ended up bringing Malfoy on board and took him under his wing when Malfoy transferred to his department within the Ministry. Friday night drinks were a weekly thing now and had been for years. It was a fact however, that Hermione found the last few months of them a lot harder than they used to be ... now that she was more aware of Malfoy, anyway.