She huffed and went to do her makeup and hair carefully, like Pansy had taught her, certain that Draco would not stand for this dress once he saw it.

~*~

When Draco saw her in the dress, he had very little to say. In fact, he looked like his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth.

She felt the weight of his gaze on her as she descended the staircase in her heels and gold collar. When she reached the bottom, he escorted her out with a hand on her bare back, and the warmth of his palm sent goose pimples over her skin.

But she needed to focus. She had a mission this evening. And she and Draco couldn't act like anything had changed between them. For all the world knew, he had been pushing her against library stacks and grinding his body against hers for weeks.

(As he pushed his tongue into her mouth with a moan. And sought her eyes whenever she started to move her hips back against him—)

The burst of wind whipping around them as they stepped out of the Manor doors made her shiver, and his hand pressed more firmly to her back as they moved down the drive.

She looked up at him as they approached the iron gates. "So you and Blaise are ready, then?"

"I'm not concerned. We used to read Theo's mind in school. Take the piss out of him for his fantasies."

"Is that what you told Blaise, then? That you just want to mess with him again?" Draco hesitated, and she froze just as the gate opened. "What did you tell him, Draco?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "I… told him some of it, Granger."

A sharp wariness spiked through her veins. "Draco—"

"It's fine." He grabbed her arm and dragged her through the barrier, and before she could scold him, they were Disapparating to arrive on the cobblestones outside Edinburgh.

He walked her through the stone entrance and up the stairs to the courtyard. Hermione barely had a moment to blink at Charlotte before Draco took her elbow and began dragging her through the Great Hall. His jaw was tight and his strides longer than usual, seemingly wanting nothing to do with the other guests. Hermione tried to glance around as he hurried her through, but they were moving so quickly she couldn't single out any new guests. She did catch a glance of Dolohov and Yaxley schmoozing a pair of stiff and pale-faced men she hadn't seen before.

Draco tugged her up the stairs and into the dining room. Her eyes landed on Theo, who was kissing the neck of the same dark-haired Carrow girl from weeks ago. Blaise lounged at the head of the table, where Flint usually sat. As the boys greeted Draco, Pansy gave her a cool, approving look through Giuliana's eyes.

"Get a promotion, Blaise?" Draco lilted.

Blaise took a dramatic sip from his tumbler. "Heard Flint couldn't be here tonight, so I took advantage. The early bird and all that."