It was Warrington's turn to throw the dice. The Carrow Girl in his lap giggled when he offered her the dice to blow on, and he caught her lips with his as the dice tumbled across the table.

Hermione looked away from the scene as Theo called out the results of the roll. They played their first hand, exchanging chips and cards. And when it was time to bet their information, Theo offered another visitor to Edinburgh in the next month.

"Don't waste our time with that," Draco drawled. "I want to know what your father was researching in my library." Theo opened his mouth. "And don't feed me any bollocks about the Apparition Line," Draco continued, cutting over him. "I saw him lurking in the other sections."

A stillness swept over the table. Theo's face flushed at being put on the spot, and clearly not in a way he enjoyed.

"I'll take that bet," Flint said with a glint in his eye. "Especially since Theodore is panicking."

The table chuckled. The strawberry-blonde cooed into Theo's ear and rubbed his shoulders as he scowled. Hermione felt her pulse spike, feeding off the intrigue, and she quickly looked down at the table to hide her eagerness.

Theo scowled, drumming his fingers on the table. "Well, I'm only in if Draco tells us where Daddy Malfoy has been."

Draco's ribs expanded against hers, and she saw the corner of his mouth lift. He made quite a show of looking down at his cards, weighing the options.

"What do you think, Granger?" he lilted. "Think my cards are good enough?"

She blinked at his hand, not sure how to answer, but knowing it didn't matter — he was only buying time. She thought of the other girls' hands trailing through the boys' hair or sliding down collar bones — the ways in which it was typical to flirt and touch and tease.

Hermione plucked a card from the middle of Draco's hand and replaced it on the end. She leaned closer, and loudly whispered, "I think Theo's about to spill all his secrets."

The boys burst into laughter — more raucous than the quip warranted. It wasn't terribly witty, but perhaps they were amused that it was said by her. That she was playing their game.

"Now the game can start!" Flint yelled over the din. "I wondered when you'd show up, Granger!"

"About time. Not nearly as cozy as they were last week—"

"Finally warming up over there—"

"—back to that swotty posture again, probably aching for a shag with Malfoy gone the last week—"

Hermione let the words wash over her, straining a tight-lipped smile down at Draco's cards. Pansy had been doing something different. Something cozier. And they'd noticed the difference.

She tried to relax back into Draco's arm and shoulder, tilting her body towards him. He was still as stone again, no help at all. Fighting back her irritation, she wiggled closer, trying to get as cozy as Pansy might have been — only to be stopped by his hand squeezing her leg in warning. As they tossed cards back and forth, she allowed the arm resting on the back of his chair to drape across his shoulders.