Bond

1

Bond

By MrBenzedrine

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, and I won't make a profit from this story. Unless you count friendship/followers as profit.
Dramione shipping

"Paralyzer" by Finger Eleven

*****

"Luna, I don't quite feel comfortable…"

She stared across the front lawn of a lavish looking, three-tier building made up of black bricks and no windows. Surrounding the establishment were trees on all sides- privacy, she noted shyly, for all attending 'guests.' There was one circular slab of concrete fifty feet away for Apparition arrivals and departures, where Hermione and Luna stood, and a beautifully constructed path made of cobblestones leading up to the front door.

Luna Lovegood gave her friend a cheerful smile and patted her shoulder. "This will be good for you, Hermione. You need to unwind -you said it yourself."

"Yes," Hermione nodded, wrapping her arms around herself as she glanced down at her white sundress accented with blue flowers. The halter straps around her neck dug in too tight to her skin (though Hermione had only herself to blame, as she tied those straps rather tight so no one would be able to untie them quickly). Her exposed legs trembled in her ballet flats as the night air picked up a considerably icy gust of wind. "But when I said that, I meant a nice cup of herbal tea and a good book. Not… this." She waved at the building with its daunting black door as the only visible way in or out.

Luna shrugged in response and took her friend by the arm to lead her down the path. "Ever since your divorce, you've been nothing but a pent up bundle of nargles. -Everyone says so."

"Do they?"

"Yes." The blonde smiled warmly as she tugged at Hermione's arm to quicken their stride. "I promise you; there's nothing sinister behind these doors. Just a way for witches and wizards to release pent up energy."

"By feeling up on each other in designated rooms?" She gave a cold laugh.

"It's not like that at all," said Luna, "Bond is a place where you can have a conversation with someone if that's all you wish, or you can do more. One can act out their most irreverent fantasies in a safe, structured environment. There are rules. Safety regulations. It's just up your alley."

"Except the part where I'm expected to pick a random stranger to engage in sexual acts with."

Luna came to an abrupt stop, turning her head up towards the slightly taller witch. "The first tier is just a nightclub. You can have a drink, dance, and unwind. You don't have to explore the other two floors. But I do think this will be good for you."

"Why did I agree to this in the first place?"

"Because you know it's what you need. And because I told you that I wouldn't sign your petition unless you came out for a drink with me."

"A drink." Hermione nodded. "Yes. Exactly. A drink. Not this!"

"You never specified where."

Hermione sighed and gave up, allowing Luna to walk her all the way up the front steps and to the large, metal door with a silver, hooped knocker. Luna reached her hand up, knocked on it once, twice, and then two quick times, and the door swung open immediately. The hallway looked dark and secluded, and Hermione backed up. "I… I don't think anyone's home."

"It's just a glamour. Come on. In you pop." Luna shoved her friend inside, and when Hermione's feet broke through the threshold, the dark entryway lit to life with color. Surrounding her was a large, lavish nightclub; the walls were draped in red velvet on three sides, and on the fourth stood a wall lined with shelves of liquor all the way to the ceiling. A bar, complete with black, cushioned swivel chairs and scantily clad witches brewing alluring alcoholic concoctions, ran the length of the fourth wall. The dance floor was packed with sweaty bodies, jumping and gyrating to some pulsing, rhythmic bass that shook Hermione down to her bones as she took a few more steps inside. Luna came up behind her, her red lipstick pulling back into a smile that said, 'told you you'd like it'.