Pluto Projector.

Chapter Twenty-Three.

"Wow, you actually made it," (Y/n) greeted quietly, taking a seat beside Blaise, who had turned up for the latest Slughorn dinner. Blaise shrugged and (Y/n) took that as his way of telling her that he either had nothing going on or he really took her previous mention of being bored to heart.

"Did you see who the guest is today?" Blaise asked. (Y/n)'s eyes scanned the room.

"Should I?" (Y/n)'s eyes fell on a buff woman, who chatted equally as animatedly as Professor Slughorn himself.

"Are you joking?" Blaise whispered. "Actually, never mind. I don't think you even followed professional Quidditch at any point in your life... Anyway, that's Gwenog Jones. Captain of the Holyhead Harpies."

"Oh, Ginny likes that team," (Y/n) smiled. She knew Ginny would be livid over missing the opportunity to meet Gwenog Jones, so she made a note to get an autograph for Ginny. Blaise nodded uninterestedly. Hermione turned up shortly, beelining straight for (Y/n) before McLaggen could even wave her over. (Y/n)'s lips curled up in amusement. The three chatted through the course of dinner— Mainly (Y/n) chatting with one person and then the other as, while Blaise and Hermione were not at each other's throats, the peak of their relationship was tolerance. Gwenog Jones had taken great interest in the Quidditch players in the room, that being (Y/n) and Blaise, and involved them in conversation as much as she could that night before Slughorn stepped in and shone the spotlight on McLaggen.

"The food tastes extra good tonight," Hermione commented. "Perhaps because I am not sitting beside a sour person..."

"And the presence of a celebrity too," (Y/n) added. "I wonder how that works. Does Dumbledore do a background check on each person? Or maybe he doesn't even know Slughorn is bringing in guests?" Hermione shrugged her shoulders uncertainly.

"I would hope Dumbledore at least knows..." Hermione murmured. The three glanced up as Slughorn started hitting his fork against his glass. He rose to his feet, smiling around at them all.

"You are all invited to my Christmas Party," Slughorn announced. "It is not a requirement, but you may bring a date to accompany you." Based on the Slug Club's members, (Y/n) knew the party would be a drag but at least having a date around would make it a decent night. "Miss Granger, I trust you can pass the news to Harry and Miss Weasley?"

"Of course," Hermione said, smiling forcefully.

"That is all for tonight, everyone," Slughorn said pleasantly. "I hope to see your faces at our next dinner." The room slowly cleared.

"A date..." (Y/n) murmured thoughtfully.

"It's not a requirement," Hermione chimed.

"Have you seen the people there? I'd at least be entertained with a date," (Y/n) said. Hermione thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Anyone in mind on who you'll take?" Truthfully, Hermione's ideal date was already attending the party, but asking her out would likely result in (Y/n) saying Hermione ought to invite someone who wasn't in the Slug Club.

"I might ask Ron to come so he won't be left out," Hermione said. "What about you?"

"I don't know..." (Y/n) admitted. "I would say Cho, but I already know she doesn't like the people in the Slug Club... Hm. Maybe Padma or Neville." She turned to Hermione. "Did you hear Parvati and Ginny have been hanging out together recently?"

"What? Really? That's unexpected," Hermione murmured. While Parvati and Hermione were dormmates, Ginny and Parvati really had no common interest besides Dumbledore's Army— At least that was what (Y/n) thought. Really, they had more in common than (Y/n) guessed. They both had rough times with boys (in the sense boys were stealing the attention of the girls they liked), shared a lot of the same friends, liked the same (Wizard) bands, and supported the same Quidditch Team: Holyhead Harpies. "And Lavender's been pretty flirty with Ron recently..."