"I didn’t want to come here tonight," Hermione started, drawing up her courage. She watched as his interested expression wavered slightly; his eyes seemed to sparkle less at the admittance. "But it’s not for the obvious reason," she continued. "I couldn’t tell you how many of these events I’ve attended. It's like my life has been a series of these meaningless parties. There’s a means to the end of course, but it's the same old small talk every time followed by the downing of drinks alone while watching everyone else on the dance floor."