Past, Present, And Future

Hermione shyly handed out wrapped boxes to each couple, hoping they'd like the small gift. Even Laticia seemed grateful for the gift, although Hermione took it with a grain of salt. She'd probably plastered that look on her face so often it was a seamless transition.

Pansy clapped her hands delightedly. "My turn." She picked up a box for Astoria, and then handed over; another for Blaise, one for Theo, who grinned as though he knew perfectly well what his box contained, one for Hermione. Draco raised an eyebrow.

"What about mine?"

Pansy tapped her lip with her finger. "Oh, golly, forgetful me, I must've left it at home-"

Draco's look of horror made her relent and bring out one more box, which she tossed across the room to Draco.

"Just for that, I'm not giving you yours." Pansy smirked.

"You wouldn't dare."

Draco grumbled before passing over a box in return. "I hate it when you're right."

"Get used to it. Your girlfriend is Hermione Granger, and she's always right."

Draco smirked, raising a finger. "Not always." Hermione nudged him and he promptly shut up. Theo smirked happily at the contents of his box- a shot glass set like he'd been asking for. Astoria rolled her eyes at the nail kit inside, but with a smile on her face. Blaise, however, scowled at his; an agenda.

"You're never organized. You need to stay more organized." Pansy chastised in spite of his scowl.

Pansy tore open the paper, grinning at the necklace- the kind of thing Draco got her every year (they'd cemented it as tradition after their sixth year)- and Draco opened the small box, lips quirking up in a smile at the gold statuette- a lion and a snake entwined together, both cliché and meaningful. Hermione let out a small squeal at her box.

"Pans, you didn't!"

"Theo and I,' Pansy corrected, 'did."

Hermione threw herself at Pansy, and then turned to Theo, hugging him as well. Draco glanced at the small, unassuming notebook- before a quick flip of its pages revealed its value: backwards handwriting, accompanied by hundreds of sketches, detailing inventions, discoveries, and anatomy.

A Leonardo Da Vinci notebook.

"Where'd you find it?" Hermione was breathless with excitement, not caring about the display she'd just put on for the adults in the room.

"I won't tell you that, because then you'll get mad at how much I spent on it." Pansy winked. Astoria groaned. "There's no way what I got is going to be as good as that." Reluctantly, she handed over a dainty gift bag, decorated with blooming roses.

The bracelet inside may not have had as much historical value as the notebook, but Hermione still repeated her embrace for Astoria.

"I know it doesn't mean as much, but.." The blonde trailed off at Hermione's look of incredulity. "Just because it's not as old or has as much historical value doesn't mean it means any less to me. I'll treasure them just the same,' she declared as she looped the jewellery into the bag again,' one does not mean less than the other." She directed a rather chilling glare at Laticia as she did so who barely managed to not shudder under the brunette's stern, McGonagall-like gaze.

More gifts were exchanged. Hermione received a hairpin from Blaise and his mother, a gorgeous dress from Narcissa- a dazzling red ball gown. Corianne had gifted her a book on Transfiguration theory- she handed it over sheepishly, saying he hadn't known what else to get her- but Hermione smiled, replying Transfiguration was a key interest of hers.

.

"Okay, my turn." Hermione smiled giddily as she reached into her bag of parcels; passing out earrings to Narcissa, the cufflinks to Theo and Blaise, and then the bracelets to Astoria and Pansy, who had something that looked suspiciously like tears in her eyes, each girl fastening a bracelet around the wrist of someone else.

And then it was Draco's turn.

She pulled out the album, edge with gold, covered in emerald green, a picture of their date in Paris on the front. Draco gasped.

"How did you get this? We didn't take any pictures that night-"

"They're my memories, Draco." Her slender fingers opened the front cover of the book, revealing memories that documented their time together. The day she'd come in for her interview. The time where she'd sat with him, in her bedroom, the second time she'd been poisoned and had stayed the night with him. The moment her heart had stopped and the air snatched from her lungs, not believing his words. The date in Paris, every second of it. Snapshots of their life together, as of thus far, and many blank pages to document the days to come. Draco felt welcome tears pool in his eyes.

"Hermione-"

Immediately she swam into his vision, concern discernable in the depths of her eyes. "What's wrong? Oh, Godric, do you not like it? I'm sorry-"

"Don't you ever be so foolish as to think that again." Draco chided her sternly. Not that it had much of an effect, Hermione thought, with tears in his eyes. He crushed her to him, eliciting an 'oomph' from her. "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever gotten."

Hermione leaned her head against him before he nuzzled his face in her neck. Hermione pulled away, breaking their embrace. Draco gave her a pout.

"Not now. I think,' she whispered into Draco's ear, consulting her watch,' that it's lunchtime."

***

"Hermione, stop moving! Merlin, have you never put makeup on before?"

"I have-"

"Then you should know to stay still." Astoria brushed the lipstick- smeared brush over Hermione's lips, effectively stopping what she had to say. Hermione sighed internally.

Pansy was doing her hair at the back, pulling and twisting and re-doing her curls into an elegant messy bun, with some locks of hair framing her face. Her eyelids were coated with silver and rimmed with black, and her lips (once Astoria was finished) would be painted a blushing pink, as Pansy had insisted that 'red didn't go with silver.'

Despite her fidgeting, the time flew by as the three girls exchanged banter and jokes as they prepared for the gala that night. It seemed to take only seconds- although it probably took at least an hour- until they were zipping each other into their dresses, silver, blue, and green.

The brunette glanced around at the mess of an apartment, sighing. It would be a lot to clean up later- if she even had the energy, which she doubted she would. Pansy circled her wrist with her forefinger and thumb, dragging her to the door.

"Stop worrying about the mess. It's time to go."

They'd kicked Draco out for all of three hours while they were getting ready, having a spa date and making the most of it before actually being productive. Hermione smirked at Draco once he saw her, his eyes trailing up her body to meet hers, caramel brown boring into silver.