The very last thing Hermione wanted to do was go to Theo's birthday party. She quite simply did not have the energy to put on a dress, fix her hair and makeup, and make small talk with the handful of people she had seen every day since September. She didn't want to endure Pansy's snide comments, did not want to see the worried look in Harry's eyes, or the assessment in Susan’s. She didn't want to answer Ron's carefully crafted questions, as though the man could somehow trick her into divulging more information than she was capable of. She did not want to pretend any more. But God knew she had to.