Anyone But Me

Chapter Five

His stare burrowed into hers. A spiral of emotions she could never hope to figure out, not if she was given a hundred years, churned underneath the stark whiteness of his mask. Just as quickly as his gaze had locked on to hers it was gone and he was smirking in Pansy's direction. Hermione tensed as she waited for him to out her and the tsunami of insults to begin at any second...

"I did not enjoy playing Seeker. I just like flying fast and let's face it... I am pretty damn good at it. My Mother's pet name for me as a child was Drakey-poo. I lost my virginity to Parkinson the night of the Yule Ball." Malfoy drawled arrogantly. Each of his answers had just enough detail to possibly be the truth but were also embarrassing enough that you wouldn't necessarily want to admit to it. And none of them were so outlandish to be unbelievable, unlike his predecessors.

Slowly it dawned on her that he wasn't going to rat her out. Had she hallucinated him recognizing her? That had to be the explanation.

Maybe she really could do this... Even if they did end up figuring out it was her... Why should that stop her from having some fun first? Where was that bravery she prided herself on? She felt as if she had whiplash. In some perverse way she wasn't able to figure out if she wanted them to identify her or not. It felt like the worst thing imaginable while simultaneously being a tempting relief from the heavy apprehension of how bad their reactions could be.

She hated the feeling of walking on eggshells. She had spent far too much of her time toeing an invisible (but always present line) in the Wizarding World. It was one of the main forces that made her strive for greatness and to push herself to be so brave even when every single one of her instincts told her to run. A reason to fight to be the best student, friend, daughter and person she could be. Maybe if she could do all of that she would be able to prove that she belonged in this world. That she had finally earned the magic she didn't deserve!

Her attention quickly shifted back to the topic at hand. She honestly didn't have a clue what the lie was...

Her shoulders lifted slightly, giving a half shrug. "I cannot imagine Narcissa Malfoy ever calling her son Drakey-poo. So that is the one I will go with."

Wayne nodded at her answer and said "Same." before nuzzling his face into Hestia's neck. She giggled, slapped his arm to get him to stop his rather sloppy looking assault, and then gave her answer. "That Seeker bullshit."

By the time both Pansy and Sue had agreed with the other witch Hermione knew she was in trouble. She should have known better. Malfoy was always bragging about his Quidditch prowess. Had the drinks she had taken earlier really affected her brain so badly that he gotten one over on her that easily?

Blaise pushed at Malfoy's knee with his own playfully, "Oh I don't know... That seeker stuff was a pretty good sell. But I am gonna have to go with the Lady over there. I have never heard your mother utter the words Drakey-poo in my life."

"Childhood pet name Zabini. It was the Seeker one. I'd almost think we haven't been roommates for years." Malfoy drawled at him, feigning hurt in his expression.

"Have I injured your fragile ego? Please accept my sincerest apologies! I would languish knowing Lord Malfoy was wounded by my ignorance." He responded sarcastically. The playful grin, so different from the smirk used on girls, still rested on his lips which showed Malfoy (and everyone else) that it was all in good fun.

"So wounded I might have to scurry off to my bed. But first, it is our Mystery Guest's turn, right?" Draco replied, effortlessly shifting the focus from him.

Blaise immediately conjured a shot each for Hermione, Wayne and himself. Which they all swallowed down and within seconds the glasses disappeared with a flick of his wand.

Too quickly, everyone's attention was thrust onto her. Each person's curiosity shone brightly under their composed veneers. She internally shrank back but concentrated hard to gather her thoughts. Now was not the time for a bout of visible anxiety. She thought over her options. None of them supposedly knew who she was. It shouldn't be hard to fool them. If she kept her answers vague enough they should not be able to glean anything concrete about who she was...

"I was almost sorted into Ravenclaw. I've never liked flying. My favorite color is orange."

Wayne looked close to joining their friend in the corner but he still managed to slur out, "Everyone loves to fly."

Hestia nodded like what Wayne had said was the most obvious thing in the world. Her hand started to play with a button on his shirt. "Yeah. It's like being a bird or... something. You have to be lying."

"Orange is a disastrous color that makes for gaudy Halloween decorations. I highly doubt it is anyone's favorite color." Pansy responded dismissively, staring down at her painted nails.

"I am going to go with almost being sorted into Ravenclaw. You don't seem like the type to me." Sue said looking like she was growing bored. She probably wanted the game to be done just as badly as Hermione did. Granted their reasons were very different... She would be running off for her night of fun with Zabini and Hermione would be finding a quiet place to wait out the time before she could go back to her dorm.

"Orange is tacky. Like Pansy said. A woman as ladylike as you have shown yourself to be would never entertain that horrid shade as a favorite." Blaise replied.

"So not what I said..." Pansy mumbled under her breath.

"Flying. I cannot imagine someone not enjoying flying." Malfoy said. His eyes, once again, moved to settle on her. This time they started at the tips of her toes and slowly traveled up her body. She watched intently as his eyes roamed to her hips... Up to her breasts... Then to her neck. Finally, his eyes flicked back onto hers. He didn't blush. He wasn't the least bit ashamed of his choice to survey her body. The anonymity that her mask provided allowed him to truly appreciate something that he had never given a first glance. Considering who she was...

Flustered and slightly breathless from the way her heart hammered in her chest she tried to remember what they were doing... Oh yes... The blasted game.

"Orange isn't my favorite color. It's actually a soft gray. Like the sky during a summer rainstorm. Not a thunderstorm, just a light shower." She blushed crimson. She doubted even Ginny's charms stood a chance against covering it all. Why had she just yammered on like an idiot? And what was that nonsense about gray being her favorite color? It had always been chestnut brown, warm and inviting, like the cover of her favorite fairytale book as a child.

"Wait, so you were almost sorted into Ravenclaw? What house are you in then?" Sue questioned, her natural inquisitiveness taking over.

Shit! How had it come to this already? The Gods were toying with her now. It had seemed an innocent enough admission at the time. She should have known it would lead to this question. What had she thought about pressing her luck?

"Gryffindor." Hermione said as offhandedly as she could muster.

It was better to treat it like a bandage, right? Get out before she could learn anything else about the people in this motley group. All of them had welcomed her without reservation. Knowing nothing about her, even Malfoy had allowed her to have a couple of stolen moments in which she could believe who she was didn't matter. Her house, parentage and friendships had been nonexistent. She wasn't "Hermione Granger, One of Harry's Best Friends", "Hermione Granger, The Brightest Witch of Her Age" or "Hermione Granger, Mudblood". She now knew what it felt like to be accepted. To be just another regular witch... For all of a half an hour.

"Ohhhhh... A lioness! I wonder if she roars or if she mews like a little kitten in bed?" Blaise asked smoothly, his womanizer smirk back on full display. He waggled his eyebrows at her. Daring her to come up with some retort.

The thing was- She had absolutely no clue how to respond...