Anyone But Me

Chapter Three

"A game?" Hermione hedged at Blaise's question.

"Yes. A game." That annoyingly charming grin was still spread across his face. Oh yes, there was no doubt he knew exactly how he affected the females of their species. That much was readily apparent to her.

"What kind of game?" She continued to prod. Unwilling to agree to anything with a Slytherin without knowing the specifics that would be required of her.

"A drinking game. We would have to go over there." He indicated a small cluster of chairs that were situated around a royal blue couch. Nearly all the seats were taken by what looked like other members of his house. The thought of a whole group of them figuring out who she was sent chills down her spine and a fresh wave of goosebumps to erupt over her body. "Each person takes a turn and gives two true things about themselves and one lie, then everyone else has to guess which is the lie. If you guess wrong you have to take a shot. It is genuinely effortless. I promise."

It did seem simple enough and she liked to think she was a pretty observant person. That would definitely play in her favor during a game like Blaise proposed. Why was she hesitating anyway? This was exactly what she had come here for! Well, maybe not the whole spending the evening with a bunch of Slytherins part but being able to live a different life for a night. How much more divergent from her normal life could she get than playing drinking games with people who routinely harassed her?

"I suppose that would have the distinct possibility for drunken shenanigans." Hermione replied. She didn't miss the flash of admiration in Blaise's eyes before he slid his hand onto her lower back, scarcely above where the tulle hid her bottom from any explorative groping. He gently steered her towards the group of unknown coeds.

They stopped at the entrance to the little circle and she scanned the gathering warily...

She picked out Pansy Parkinson right away. The chit had gone way overboard with the Slytherin Pride. She was figuratively (and quite literally) a snake. Her mask was inlaid with emeralds, diamonds and black opals. The flawless work on the scale design was exquisite and when combined with her masterful use of dark makeup... Wow! Her dress was barely there and naturally- emerald green to match the jewels of her mask. It had a glitter overlay that shimmered eerily in the candlelight, while her neckline plunged far enough down to show the undersides of her breasts before the fabric gathered in a u-shape across her upper stomach. The skirt would be considered what the muggle fashion world called "mini", the fabric barely came down enough to cover her voluptuous bum. Pansy silently screamed sex as she sat in one of the chairs, her legs draped across the arm leisurely.

Hermione's self-esteem took the calculated hit. There was no way anyone was going to look very long at her when they had Pansy to fawn over and they both knew it. Not that she had come for the sole purpose of finding male attention mind you! But even she had to admit it was nice to have Blaise's attention for the short time she'd had it...

Wayne Hopkins, a Hufflepuff from their year, had one of the Carrow twins sitting in his lap. Was it... Hestia? Maybe. An odd pairing but the drunken heart wants what the drunken heart wants, apparently... And who was she to judge considering not even sixty seconds before she had been taking companionable drinks with the Slytherin Playboy?

Finally, Sue Li from Ravenclaw sat on the couch with.... Shit! Draco -frickin'- Malfoy... In a tux... And a "Phantom of the Opera" styled mask? What in the world?!? She hadn't noticed him at first considering his two brainless sidekicks were nowhere in sight. Hermione paused as Blaise stepped forward and sat between the two. He reached over and pulled Sue's legs into his lap. The dress she wore was a deep dark purple and leaned more towards modest but it did have a slit up the left side that went to mid-thigh. A fact that he took immediate advantage of by sliding his hand onto her exposed knee. She didn't protest and just situated herself until she was more comfortable in the new position.