Theo's fingers skated across her back, and Hermione jumped, remembering herself. "Champagne?"

Hermione smiled and nodded, tilting her head back as he tilted the glass to her lips. She could use a bit of liquid courage.

"Easy, Granger," Theo chuckled, snapping his fingers at a nearby Carrow Girl for another glass. "Since when do you drink so much?"

Hermione pouted. "Since when do you gamble so much?"

"Still feisty, I see." He took a long dreg, looking over her shoulder. "Want to get a bit more comfortable?"

The music buzzed through her ears, and she swallowed. "Of course. How should I—?"

His free hand dropped to her thigh. "Why don't you turn to face me."

She took a deep breath and shifted, preparing to straddle him. She wouldn't let herself think about how her dress was riding up her backside, now directly in Draco's eyeline.

A trilling laugh as she moved. She glanced over her shoulder and caught a glimpse of silky hair bent over a fringe of blonde. The Carrow Girl was straddling Draco, too.

She turned back to Theo and slipped her arms around her neck. "Do you often win at cards?" she purred.

He looked at her, as if suddenly remembering she was there. "Uh, yes." His chest puffed. "I like strategy, that sort of thing."

Oh this was going to be easy.

"Mmm." She leaned closer in his ear. "What kind of strategy?"

She spent the next fifteen minutes listening to Theo talk about Wizard's Chess and Quidditch betting. His hands were resting on her hips, occasionally skating across her bare back, but she couldn't shake the feeling that his touches were perfunctory. Once, she hesitantly tried moving her hips to the beat of the music, but he gave her an odd look that stopped her in her tracks. So she decided to up her game by increasing her flattery. She could see it land on him, with one boyish grin after another.

"You were always smart in school, too." She tucked her hair behind her ear. "Do you help your father a lot with his missions? I hear he's always working on terribly difficult projects."

"Yeah, a bit." Theo shifted to reach for his glass, wrapping his arm around her back to steady her. "I've been shadowing him. More than Malfoy's allowed, I bet."

Hermione laughed, turning to look at Draco, and found his eyes glaring daggers at Theo's hand on her back. The girl redirected his attention to her, rubbing his shoulders. Hermione scowled and turned back to Theo.

"Your father must really trust your skills then," she said, running her hands over his shoulders.

"Yeah. Yeah, he does." He sipped his champagne.

"Is the library at Nott Manor as grand as Malfoy Manor's?"

"It's just as stocked and almost the same size." He sneered. "You know, the only reason people wank over Malfoy Manor is the peacocks. Our acreage is just the same. I've checked."

"I can only imagine." Hermione bit her lip. "I wish I could see it someday, but"—she raised her left arm and gave a helpless shrug.