"This is precisely the night," Blaise slurred.

"Blaise." Draco's voice was stern, and Hermione looked up to see his eyes hard as ice. "Get yourself together."

Blaise looked like he was about to laugh, but he seemed to straighten up. "Right you are, General." He held Draco's eyes as he slowly lifted his flask and took another swig.

Theo pinched the bridge of his nose. Hermione's eyes darted to a nearby couple, glaring at them.

"I need to speak with Minister Egger. I'll see you both inside." Draco steered her away, and turned back over his shoulder with a hiss. "Behave yourselves."

Hermione took a calming breath as they glided across the courtyard, pushing away her thoughts of the evening's plans. She curved her lips in a demure smile as Draco greeted the Swiss Minister and his wife — the one Draco had been seen standing behind in the Prophet while he was in Switzerland. As they stood and chatted, shifting around the growing crowd, Hermione chanced a glance around the courtyard.

Lucius and Narcissa were now speaking to Selwyn and his wife. The Swiss Minister paused to retrieve a fresh glass of champagne, and Hermione caught a glimpse of Theo walking with an unfamiliar man. The man pressed a spindly hand on Theo's shoulder as he directed him toward the archways, with Oliver following from a respectable distance. They stopped to greet a pair of diplomats, and the skeletal man turned — Albrecht Berge. Hermione's eyes dropped to the stones again.

She spotted Dolohov's profile across the courtyard, scanning the crowd. Slughorn bumped into him before they could lock eyes, and Dolohov snarled as sherry spilled onto his shoes. To her left she found Hannah Abbott, standing a few steps behind Runcorn from the Ministry, her face pale. Runcorn was speaking lowly to Minister Cirillo as her eyes drifted over Hannah.

Draco was interrupted by Minister Santos and his wife. Hermione acknowledged them with a pasted-on smile, and when they moved past introductions, she glanced around again.

Rita Skeeter was speaking with Pius Thickness, her eyes drifting over his shoulder to watch Yaxley's conversation with the Austrian Minister. Hermione found Rabastan Lestrange next, laughing with Flint and Penelope. Her stomach jolted, and she swiftly scanned the crowd for ginger hair. She found none.

In a dark corner on the opposite archway, Hermione caught a flash of lupine eyes — Fenrir Greyback, standing with another large, vicious-looking man. A heavy volume shuddered — one containing pages of blood-matted blonde curls and Lavender's vacant blue eyes. Dropping her eyes to the stones again, she took deep breaths.

Draco suddenly excused them and took her arm, dragging her quickly through the crowd. Hermione barely had a moment to orient herself when Draco stopped in the arched entryway — just as Katya Viktor reached the stairs.

"Katya."

Hermione watched Katya's shoulders stiffen before her beautiful face lifted.

"Draco, darling!" She stepped up to them and kissed Draco on the cheek, her eyes quickly skimming over Hermione as she pulled away. "I had so hoped to see you tonight!"