The Silver Envelope

Introductions

Hermione resisted the urge to seize a glass of champagne and gulp it down all at once. She needed a clear head tonight. She had been greeting guests all evening, working hard to make sure they reached their donation goal. After Draco had met her last letter with silence, she had begun to worry that she had alienated her most generous sponsor, which meant that tonight, she needed to charm every deep-pocketed guest in the room.
On top of that, she had to say hello to practically everyone she knew. Several people from the Department of Magical Creatures were in attendance. George Weasley had come with Angelina Johnson, and Hermione had also spotted Bill and Fleur, Neville and Hannah Abbot, Lavender Brown, Dean Thomas, Lee Jordan, Padma Patil, and Alicia Spinnet. There were probably others, but all their faces had begun to blend together.
Her anxiety wasn't helped by the fact that she had forgotten to find a different dress to wear after she had broken things off with Draco. The deep burgundy gown she wore at the moment had been chosen specifically for revenge, with its tight bodice and useless, thin straps draped around her shoulders. When she had tried it on the first time, she'd felt like a gothic heroine. But now, she felt as though she had to fight for every breath she took in the damned thing.
"Hermione, stop fidgeting with your hair. You're going to ruin it," Ginny said, gently pulling Hermione's fingers away from her curls. She hadn't even realized she was doing it.
"It's going to be alright, Hermione," Harry said reassuringly. "I talked to Ron yesterday. I think he got it all out of his system the other night."
"And if he so much as talks to you, I'll curse him with really long nose hair. No erectile dysfunction! Oh, I'll just do both," Ginny said. "That way, whoever his date is will be completely put off. Two birds, y 'know?"
Despite herself, Hermione smiled.
"Thanks, but I have no interest in ruining his date, Ginny," she said. "I just want this night to go as smoothly as possible."
"Well, I don't," Ginny said with a scowl. "I want my brother to get what's coming to him. Are you sure your date isn't coming anymore, Hermione? I was looking forward to seeing Ron's face when you showed up with someone else. Preferably someone handsome, who he hates.'
Hermione's mouth went dry. Ginny's description was entirely too correct.
"No, I told him not to come," she said, repressing a pang of regret at the knowledge. There was no way Draco would show up now, not when she had rejected him right after asking him to help her.
"Harry, my boy!" boomed a familiar voice.
All three of them turned to find Professor Slughorn approaching, looking flushed and jolly, as if he had already imbibed in more than one glass of champagne.
"Professor Slughorn," Harry acknowledged politely.
Hermione had invited Slughorn knowing that he would be an excellent contact to help her acquire new donors. He had responded exactly as she'd hoped, for his influence was almost as strong as
Kizzy Haart's was when it came to ticket sales for the evening.
As Harry chatted with Slughorn about his latest work as an Auror, Hermione's eyes scanned the room. Guests chatted and swayed to the music, or perused the items set up for auction while sampling the food. Thus far, the night was a success. Tickets had sold out, and they were already close to their fundraising goal for the night. By the end of the evening, they will have made enough to keep all the involved groups going for another year.
Hermione realized that she had been looking for one particular person in the crowd, and closed her eyes with a fresh wave of guilt and sadness. It was stupid to hope that he had come anyway.
Jerking her attention back to the people around her, Hermione found Professor Slughorn in the middle of a rambling speech about their former days at Hogwarts.
*never seen such talent in all my years of teaching! Really, my boy, you could have been an astounding-_ oh! Weasley! How wonderful to see you again!"
Hermione felt a jolt of panic as she turned to see which Weasley Slughorn was talking to.
Ron had arrived, a blank look on his face. As he shook hands with Slughorn, Hermione locked eyes with the woman standing next to him.
No. He wouldn't dare...
"Everyone, I'd like you to meet my date," Ron said, gesturing to the woman.
Stepping forward in an obnoxiously bright red gown with matching lipstick, Ron's date delivered her much-practiced introduction.
"Johanna Wolcroft, Daily Prophet reporter," she said, extending her hand to Slughorn with a
wolfish smile.
She was Ron's date?
"Nice to meet you, Johanna," Slughorn said graciously.
The rest of the group was much less welcoming. Harry looked confused, and Ginny looked as though she had just smelled something off.
Ron finally turned to look at Hermione. A look of bitter triumph crossed his face as he saw her, standing there alone, utterly shocked to learn whom he had brought.
Seeming to sense that something awkward was passing through the group, Slughorn dithered.
"Well, I would love to stay and chat, but I've just seen an old friend," he said. "You'll have to excuse me, everyone. I'll catch up with you again later tonight, Miss Granger."
The five of them were left in tense silence. Johanna kept glancing from Hermione to Ron, pleased as a cat who'd just caught a mouse. Looping her arm through Ron's, she smiled at Hermione.
"It's so nice to see you again, Hermione," she said. "T hope you liked my article about the SOCKS
Act."
"I didn't happen to read it," Hermione lied. "I've been busy at the Ministry."

"Not much has changed then," Ron muttered sarcastically.
sOUl
Hermione ignored him.
"I got lots of feedback from that one," Johanna went on. "A lot of people were interested to learn that you somehow managed to free enslaved magical creatures without truly freeing them."
"That wasn't her fault," Harry said, and Hermione could have hugged him for it. "The Wizengamot wouldn't pass anything unless she had changed that.
"Any competent reporter should be able to understand the basics of politics," Ginny said waspishly.
Johanna glowered at the comment.
"Johanna is an excellent reporter," Ron retorted to Ginny. Hermione suddenly felt worried the two would come to blows right here in the ballroom.
"Harry!" Hermione squeaked, turning to face him. "How's the, um, wedding planning coming along?"
It was a transparent change of subject, but Harry took hold of it with relief.
"Oh, er, great!" he said. "Everyone seems excited about Barbados. Mrs. Weasley took it reasonably well."
*Will you be bringing a date to the wedding, Hermione?" Ron asked with a sneer. "I see you showed up alone today. Couldn't find anyone to put up with you for a whole evening?"
Johanna looked positively gleeful at Ron's words. Ginny covertly drew her wand, a menacing look
on her race
Hermione felt an angry, mortified flush rise in her cheeks. Of course Ron would show up just to shove her insecurities in her face. After what happened at the Yule Ball with Victor Krum, then at Slughorn's Christmas party with Cormac McLaggen, he must be feeling very victorious to have finally done the same thing to her. But this time, it was different. Hermione was no longer jealous.
She didn't envy the smug woman clinging to Ron's arm. She hated them both. The only thing she wanted from Ron was to see him scurry away with his tail between his legs
To make everything worse, he was right. She had managed to push away the one person who had the ability to put Ron in his place. Now she was completely alone. Ron had won.
"Sorry I'm late, Hermione," came a lazy voice from behind her. "I had forgotten something. What did I miss?"
Hermione's heart stopped.
Everyone's eyes went to the person who had just spoken. Slowly, Hermione turned and looked up, directly into the amused, silver eyes of Draco Malfoy.