Chapter 1
Hermione stared into the ice cream bowl in her lap. It was mostly melted at this point, and she had been mindlessly twisting the bowl in her hands, moving the contents around. Her appetite had long left her and she decided to give up on seeking solace in her comfort food. She sighed, standing from the sofa to discard the bowl when she heard crackling coming from the floo. In the green flames appeared Ginny Weasley.
“Hey, Gin,” Hermione called.
Ginny stepped from the floo, long legs striding across the hardwood floors. She was wearing a short silver dress accentuating her fit figure. Her years of Quidditch carved Ginny’s body into an athletic build even Hermione could appreciate. She looked like a lean goddess, glittering in her dress like a veela.
“Hermione. Honestly. What are you wearing?” Ginny raised an eyebrow and stared at Hermione, taking in her homely state.
Hermione looked down at her disheveled appearance, her face twisting into something close to embarrassment. But, luckily for her, she didn’t have the energy to feel embarrassed. She didn’t have the energy to feel much of anything at the moment. At this point, she was quite numb, comfortably so.
Clad in an overlarge jumper with a mystery stain on the front, worn boxer shorts, and fuzzy mismatched socks, she scowled at her friend who decided it was apparently okay to intrude on her evening.
“Well, I wasn’t exactly expecting company, Ginny.”
“It’s Saturday night! You’re twenty-six!” Ginny threw her hands up in a dramatic huff. “You’ve got to stop acting like such an old spinster.”
“A spinster? Wow. Thanks ever so much. You know just what to say to cheer me up.” She replied flatly. Hermione absolutely did not have the energy for this right now. “If you’re trying to get me to go out with you, I’m not coming. Crookshanks and I just started a very interesting text about the inner workings of complex charms from ancient Rome. So, I’m afraid my evening is full.”
Hermione made her way to the kitchenette and turned on the tap. She began scrubbing the bowl in the sink with much more vigor than was actually needed. She could cast a cleansing charm, but she had always found that the simple act of cleaning had soothed her. Something about scrubbing away the grime with her own hands felt therapeutic, like cleaning the dishes simultaneously cleaned something inside her, too.
Ginny marched over to Hermione and placed a hand on her shoulder. “You have not left this flat in nearly a month. It’s time, Hermione. Come with me. Please.” Ginny hesitated for a beat before pressing on. “Ron’s moved on. You should try too.”
Hermione let the bowl fall from her hands and clatter into the sink. Her hands gripped the edge of the counter, steadying herself. “Ron’s…what?”
Ginny’s eyes widened at her reaction, removing her hand from Hermione’s shoulder as though she were too fragile to be touched. “Shit. Hermione…I…I’m sorry. I thought you knew.”
Hermione felt like her heart was being ripped from her body for the second time this month. Thoughts of copper hair and scattered freckles swirled in her mind. “No. I didn’t know.” She stared at the suds running down the drain. It was almost poetic, whatever she was trying to wash away was spiraling, just like she was.
“He’s been seeing someone. Briefly. It’s nothing serious.” Ginny shook her head, averting her eyes to the floor. “But he’s trying, Hermione. I didn’t mean for you to find out this way. And not to pry, but I thought you were the one who ended things?”
“I did, yes. That doesn’t make it any easier. We…grew up together. We have been best friends since we were eleven.” Hermione saw Ron’s bright blue eyes in her mind, crinkling at the edges in a smile. It made her heart ache. “It’s still difficult for me to process that he won’t even be my friend anymore. I’m trying, too. In my own way.”
“Okay. I’m sorry. I truly am. But please. Please, please, please, come with me! There’s this great new place I’ve found, and I want my best friend to come along.” Ginny clasped her hands together in front of her, pleading.
Before Hermione could object further, Crookshanks yowled from the sofa and swatted the charms textbook onto the floor. Then he jumped from the cushion and flicked his tail, looking back at Hermione before leaving the room.
Hermione huffed. “Fine. I guess that’s my cue. I just need a minute to get ready.”
Ginny squealed as she jumped up and down, clapping her hands. “No need, I’ve got you.” She pulled out her wand and aimed it at Hermione’s wild curls, a determined look sparkled in her eyes. She whispered an incantation and Hermione’s curls began to magically tame into a sleek, straightened style. “Now, let’s work on your,” she gestured broadly at Hermione, “ensemble.”
After 30 minutes of being poked, prodded, and charmed, Hermione was glamoured to Ginny’s standards. She crossed her arms smugly and took a step back to admire her handiwork. She conjured a mirror and held it in front of her.
“There. You look flawless, Hermione. Every man will be tripping over himself to get to you.”
Wrapped in a form fitting satin dress of a deep emerald, Hermione tilted her head, assessing the person in the mirror before her. She hardly recognized herself without her unruly curls and pajamas, which has been her daily attire recently. The length of the dress stopped at her upper thigh and hung from her shoulders by slinky spaghetti straps, exposing far more skin than her typical oversized cardigans and muggle jeans. She bit her lip and flushed at the outfit. She looked…sexy. She felt sexy.
“Are you sure it’s not…too much? I wouldn’t wear something like this.”
“Which is exactly why you are wearing it. Come on, let’s go have a drink and a dance.” She pulled Hermione towards the floo before she could change her mind, throwing a fistful of powder in and called, “Luxpulso.”
*
They arrived in the floo of what appeared to be a small cellar. Ginny linked Hermione’s arm in hers and grinned widely. “Come on, it’s right this way.”
She led them through the basement to a blank brick wall. Ginny pulled her wand from the holster on her leg, tapping it three times on the stones, and whispered something quietly to the walls.
The bricks fell away one by one, rearranging and shifting until there was an opening created before them. Through the opening, Hermione could see a narrow, winding tunnel. Ginny beamed at Hermione and grabbed her hand, leading her through the tunnel and into the club.
The music was thumping in her ears, too loud to focus.
Good, she thought.
She didn’t need to focus. Ginny was right—she needed to let go a bit. The rest of the world kept turning while she moped around like a heartbroken zombie in her flat for weeks. It was time she rejoined the land of the living.
She could barely make out her surroundings, the neon lights from above were flashing in tandem with the music, disorienting her. A smoky haze filled the air. The walls were covered in colorful graffiti, magically charmed to move and dance to the rhythm. The floors were…sticky. The building seemed more like a living, breathing being rather than a club. Hermione immediately understood the appeal of Luxpulso. It made her feel alive.
She and Ginny approached the bar together and ordered two gin and tonics when a familiar face turned to greet them.
“Theodore. How are you?” Ginny grabbed his bicep and squeezed. Theo leaned into her and left a polite kiss on each cheek in greeting.
“Gin, love, doing well.” She released his arms as he took a step back to lean on the bar top. “Who’s your—” Theo’s eyes widened as he looked Hermione up and down. “Granger?! The Hermione Granger?” He wagged his eyebrows at Hermione flirtatiously. “You look…fucking delectable.”
Hermione rolled her eyes and playfully shoved his shoulder. “Thanks, Theo. Good to see you too.”
She had worked with Theodore Nott at the Ministry for the last five years; his office was just two floors down from hers. She saw him almost daily in the lifts, making casual conversation and dodging his corny, faux pickup lines. But this was the first time she had seen him outside of the ministry offices.
Theo was objectively handsome. Dark brown hair falling haphazardly over his forehead added to his easy, laid-back allure. He had vibrant green eyes and full lips. His build was nothing short of Greek godlike, or so she’d heard from rumors around the office.
A brief thought flashed through Hermione’s mind. Theo was attractive, he was familiar, and he was loosely known for his no-strings-attached policy. She could easily try to keep her mind off Ron and lose herself with Theo for the night. She could do this. She could be casual. Before she allowed herself time to overthink, she grabbed her G+T from the bar and downed it in three swallows. She slammed the tumbler onto the bar top and demanded another—make it a double this time—drinking the second just as quickly and turned to face Theo.
His eyes widened yet again. “Granger, you’re in rare form tonight. Let’s see what else you’re up to, shall we?” He put out his hand, silently asking her to take it. She obliged, feeling warmed and slightly fuzzy from the liquor. She glanced at Ginny over her shoulder and Ginny waved her away with an excited grin.
Theo and Hermione pushed through the bodies to the middle of the dance floor. He wasted no time, grabbing her hips and pulling her towards him, guiding her to rock her body to the beat against him. They were nearly nose to nose when he twisted her hips and swiftly turned her around, pulling her backside flush to his front. He slid his hands from her hips to her shoulders and back down again, reaching for her hands. Hermione laced her fingers in his and let him lead her. He raised her hands above her head and left them there, trailing back down her arms before they found their place on her hipbones. Hermione swayed to the music and reveled in the attention from Theo’s hands. Her body was covered in goosebumps, and she felt a familiar warmth between her thighs.
She decided it was time to be bold. If she were ever going to move on, now was as good a time as any to start. she reached her arm back and wrapped it behind Theo’s neck, pulling his face to hers. Her other hand found his at her waist and she intertwined their fingers once more. Their lips met sloppily. She felt his tongue slide against hers as they continued moving with the beat. He broke their kiss long enough to spin her around so they were face to face again. Hermione lifted her arms and ran her fingers through his thick brown hair as he leaned into her ear and nipped at her lobe, placing a soft kiss on her neck before he spoke. “So Granger, your flat, or mine?”
Before she could think, she bit her lip and whispered back “Take me, anywhere.”
Theo’s green eyes darkened as he wrapped his arms around her, apparating them away with a crack.