Lucius bowed at him from across the room, his eyes glinting. He gestured for Draco to join him, and without even a glance back to her, Draco moved swiftly through the crowd. A few stragglers eyed her, and Blaise stepped forward silently to take his place.

"We could not be more honored to serve the Dark Lord in Switzerland. My son has played an important role in helping crush the rebels and secure the foothold of the Great Order." Lucius roused the crowd with a wave of his hand as Draco climbed the stairs to him.

The crowd responded with hollers and cheers, as well as a smattering of ecstatic giggling from a nearby group of young women. Draco shook his father's hand and stood tall at his side, looking every inch the obedient son.

"Unfortunately, Draco can't stay," Lucius said, placing a firm hand on the back of Draco's neck.

Hermione's chest seized. It was still two minutes to midnight—

"He's expected back in Switzerland." Lucius gave a sympathetic nod as the crowd groaned. "Let's send him out with the warmest thanks we can, shall we?"

The room erupted.

Draco eyes locked on hers from across a crowd of hundreds as they both realized they wouldn't have a chance to say goodbye. He seemed to snap out of his trance after a moment, turning to kiss Narcissa with a tight smile. Her breath rattled as he waved at the crowd and left, exiting out of the drawing room and back to Switzerland. Away from her.

She swayed on her feet, but something steadied her — Blaise's hand on her elbow.

The melody of Lucius's voice wound through the crowd as he talked of fresh beginnings. Hermione blinked, dazed.

She should have told him she'd missed him too. It could have been the last time she ever saw him.

Her vision burned white-hot as Lucius mentioned the time — less than a minute to midnight. She scanned the crowd, too furious to look at the podium as Lucius waxed eloquent about the Dark Lord's might and their year of victories over his foes.

Her chest burned, her blood searing in her veins as she thought of Harry. Ron. Ginny.

The crowd swelled and swayed, and her eyes paused on a beacon of brilliant white. A girl in a blinding white dress, draped with glinting diamonds, her skin translucent and pale. A mane of furious red curls dancing around her face.

She looked exactly like—

"As I toast you into the New Year," said Lucius, "let us remember why we are here."

Five seconds to midnight. She blinked back her tears, eyes narrowing on the girl in the white dress. Standing next to Avery, his features unmistakable as he turned.

Hermione's blood turned to ice in her veins.

"To the Dark Lord's power," Lucius called, lifting his glass.

Every hand raised theirs in turn.

Midnight struck.

And as fireworks bounced around the room, Hermione watched Ginny Weasley smile and chorus with them: