Roses are red

Violets are blue

I don't own Harry Potter

This is sad, but true

Beta love goes to ravenclaw-sass for being the real MVP! 3

The restaurant was located in downtown Muggle London - definitely not his expected choice for a first date, or so she would have thought. Though if she was being honest with herself, she could not imagine a place a former pureblood supremacist would choose to take a Muggle-born on a blind date.

Is it a blind date, though? Hermione asked herself as she looked both ways down the grey street before crossing. If you've already met the person, and spent six years of your life living in the same castle, was it technically…?

"Granger?" A familiar, yet slightly unplaceable voice sounded from behind her and Hermione skidded to a halt, heels catching in the uneven pavement.

"Theodore!" A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she turned to face the wizard she would be dining with.

"Just Theo," he said. "Lovely to see you...again," he added as an afterthought, a playful smile on his lips.

He looks bloody good, Hermione thought to herself. Exactly my type - well done Lavender.

His hair was light brown and wavy, his physique obviously toned beneath his grey pin-striped suit, but not too muscly. His light blue eyes danced in the dull glow of the street light, and Hermione felt her dormant heart flutter before settling back in its chamber.

"Shall we?" He smirked, a decidedly Slytherin trait, before taking her elbow and leading her towards the restaurant.

It was slightly cramped, with the tables pushed close enough together for their conversation to often be lost amongst the other patrons'. Hermione didn't mind though; the food was delicious, and Theo was attentive.

He asked her about her work and didn't laugh when she explained that she had taken up a position in the Department for the Control and Regulation of Magical Creatures as soon as she had left Hogwarts. Theo ohh'd and ahh'd in all the right places as she outlined various pieces of legislation she had helped draft before Hermione realised that she was entirely monopolising the conversation.

Stop talking, she chided herself. It's like you've never had a date before!

It had been a while, as ashamed as she was to admit it even to herself, since she had been on a date with a guy. Not for a lack of trying - she may not be effortlessly flirty like Ginny or oddly charming like Luna, but she was confident in her ability to source a date.

The past few months, however, had been bitter disappointment after bitter disappointment, as her friends continued to go home with guys from pubs and clubs, and she returned to her apartment alone.

It had taken a toll on her wellbeing, something her friends had picked up on, and that was why Lavender had finally set her up on a blind date. She hated to admit it, but Hermione was nervous; first, she had been nervous that he would stand her up, but now she was just nervous that he wouldn't want a second date.

Get it together, her conscience hissed. Stop moping and focus on the gorgeous guy in front of you!

To hide her chagrin, she sat back in her chair and asked him about his profession, forcing a glass of wine to her mouth to prevent further rambling.

"I'm a magical real estate agent," he answered politely. "Not nearly as impressive as freeing slaves from tyrant masters." He inclined his head towards her and she preened under his insinuated praise. "But it pays the bills, and I get to work with some interesting people."

Hermione nodded, mentally checking off her list of prerequisites for potential boyfriends. She could not believe her luck. He was handsome, had a decent career and was every bit the well-groomed, charming young man she assumed he had been raised to be. Why hadn't she noticed him at school?

She was about to direct the conversation towards their time at Hogwarts when she noticed he was subtly glancing at his watch. Surely he wasn't ready to leave just yet...it was barely eight o'clock. Her heart began to thud loudly in her chest as annoyance swirled in her belly.

Theodore Nott was the first to admit that he would have to be blind not to notice that Hermione Granger had grown into a very good looking witch. Her hair had settled somewhat, compared to the bird's nest he remembered it resembling back in school, and she had really filled out her robes. He also knew that he should be hanging on to every word she said; she was making serious waves at the Ministry, he had known that before he asked her, and rumours were already beginning to circulate that one day she would become Minister for Magic.

But despite her sparkly brown eyes, flushed skin, and obvious attempts at flirting, the only desire Theo felt pooling in his gut was for the end of the date. As she sipped her drink, Theo discreetly checked the watch on his left wrist. Only 8 pm; probably too early to leave if he was being strictly polite.

Hermione, having never been one for tact, eyed him as he raised his gaze back to her face. He at least at the good grace to look ashamed. He opened his mouth to articulate an excuse, but Hermione beat him to it. "Do you need to leave?" she asked, nodding down at his timepiece.

"No," he said quickly. "I was just wondering if you would like another drink."

If she noticed the flush creeping up his cheeks, she didn't say anything. "Only if you want one," she replied nonchalantly. Theo noted the smile now tugging at her lips, but he couldn't quite bring himself to feel positive about his act of chivalry.

"Another gin and tonic?"

"Yes, please."

The waiter appeared and Theo gave her the order. As he turned back to Hermione, the witch launched into another spiel about her job, and he once again tuned her out. Forty minutes later, they were standing on the street, Hermione looking up at Theo expectantly.

"I had a really nice time tonight." He offered her a small smile.

"Likewise." She licked her lips and tilted her head to the side.

Oh, Merlin. He swallowed thickly. Is she expecting me to kiss her?

For a crazy second, Theo considered it; he could not deny that he was curious about what kind of kisser Hermione Granger would be, but he knew he could not lead her on like that. Instead, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her in a brief, friendly hug.

He pulled back quickly and made a point of stepping backwards out of her personal space before anything else could happen. With one last smile, he turned on his heel and strode away. Hermione watched from her position outside of the restaurant, hoping he would glance back and wave.

He did not turn around.

Hermione hugged herself tightly as she watched Theo disappear around the corner, before pivoting on the spot and hurrying away in the opposite direction. Glancing up and down the street, she pulled her mobile phone from her purse and quickly dialled a familiar number.

"Hermione?"

"Ginny, hi!" Hermione greeted her friend. "I just finished my date with Theo."

"Really?" There was a pause and Hermione imagined her red-haired friend checking the clock above the mantelpiece. "It's not even nine…"

"No." Hermione waved a hand dismissively as she crossed the road. "But I think it went well, listen…"

"Remind me what he said at the end?" Ginny asked as Hermione came to the end of her twenty minute play-by-play.

"I had a really nice time tonight," Hermione answered, letting herself into her apartment.

"Nice?" Ginny's tone suggested she had grimaced around the word.

"I think he was just nervous." Hermione shrugged out of her coat, the phone sandwiched between her ear and shoulder. "He hugged me goodbye, and I think that he might have wanted to kiss me but then he ran off." She laughed, a short tinkling sound which masked Ginny's doubtful huff on the other end of the line.

"Well, I'm glad it went well," Ginny said.

"Thanks! See you tomorrow!" Hermione grinned as she approached her landline phone.

"Night, Hermione."

As soon as she had disconnected the call, Hermione pressed the play button on her answering machine. "You have no new messages." The cold robot voice announced. Hermione screwed up her face in disappointment but reasoned that Theo probably wasn't even home yet.

"He'll call." She shrugged before heading to the kitchen to make tea.

Owning a bar was a dream many young men aspired to achieve at one point in their lives or another; it had been something Draco Malfoy had joked about with his mates while they were at Hogwarts. Of course, it was just a pipe dream back then. Draco had his inheritance and the Malfoy business to carry on with…only, when he turned 19 and his father had approached him about signing over the responsibility, Draco had declined on a whim and moved to London. He purchased a reasonable apartment in a nice area and became the owner of a new bar just around the corner from his place. Theo had followed soon after, buying an apartment in the same building. It was there that Draco headed, dead on his feet after a particularly gruelling Thursday night.

"Whiskey?" he asked by way of greeting as he entered Theo's apartment.

"Good evening to you too." Theo turned from his position on the couch to arch an eyebrow at his friend. "Please come in," he drawled. "Make yourself at home, won't you?" Draco smirked at the exasperated expression on his friend's face, holding the bottle of Ogden's aloft. "Yes, please," Theo finally muttered.

"What are you doing home? I thought you had a date." Draco offered Theo a glass and then flopped into the recliner next to Theo.

Theo shrugged. "It ended early."

"Was she ugly?" Draco wrinkled his nose sympathetically, bringing his own glass to his lips.

"No." Theo twisted open his own drink and sighed. "She just isn't what I'm looking for."

Draco rolled his eyes. "You need to get laid, mate."

"Well, now that you mention it – "

Draco choked on his drink. "Merlin have mercy – I know we're close, but I'm not that way inclined." He smirked as he indicated Theo's striped business shirt.

"Hey!" Theo threw a cushion at the grinning blond, missing his head by inches. "Trust me, even if I was gay, I wouldn't be interested in you."

Draco scoffed. "So speaking of getting laid…" he prompted.

"I spoke to Luna." Theo smiled wistfully and Draco fought the bile rising in his throat. "She was at the store and she said she'd call me back." His smile melted slowly into a frown. "But that was forty-five minutes ago. Do you think I should try her again? I should call her, shouldn't I?"

"Should you call her?" Draco raised his eyebrows, the fine blond arches threatening to disappear into his hairline as he took in the puppy-dog look on his friend's face.

"I should; I'm going to call her." Theo stood abruptly and flipped open his phone.

"No!" Draco launched himself from the recliner and wrapped his hand around Theo's wrist, effectively tugging the phone from his grasp. "Absolutely not; do not call her."

"But I'm about to go to bed." Theo attempted to snatch the phone back, but Draco held it out of his reach. "What if she calls but I'm asleep? I should just let her know that I'm going to sleep, so she doesn't need to call me back."

"You - " Draco blinked as if he was only just seeing his friend for the first time. " - are probably insane. What did the witch do to you tonight? Have you smoked something? Do you remember any flashing lights or a wooden stick being pointed at you during any part of the date?"

Draco had stepped forward to stare intently into Theo's face. The brown-haired wizard growled and shoved the blond backwards. "Prat," he muttered, straightening his shirt. "It's a good plan."

"It's the worst plan I've ever heard," Draco snapped, but lowered his hand and offered Theo his phone back. Theo fumbled it but managed to clutch the small piece of plastic in his hand. "I'm going home." Draco picked up his drink and made for the door. "Don't call her."

Hermione Granger was not the type of witch most people would picture as the type to wait by the phone for a guy to call…but that's exactly what she was doing, a week after her date with Theo. Her Hogwarts-aged self would be absolutely mortified to think this was how she spent her evenings in her twenties. Why was she so worried about the lack of contact from the Slytherin wizard?

It's not like you haven't been ghosted before, she told herself sullenly. Why is this surprising?

Maybe it was because she had really enjoyed her time with Theo. He had listened, really listened - or, at least she thought he had. And it had been months since a wizard had shown her any interest at all; it was disheartening to say the least, that he could not even text her to say that he wasn't interested in pursuing anything further.

"He said he had a nice time," she told Ginny for the umpteenth time.

They were at a little cafe down the road from the Ministry, where Hermione, Ginny, and Lavender usually met on their lunch hours.

"He'll call," Ginny replied, her usual statement; though Hermione noticed that as the days progressed, the conviction with which she uttered the words had begun to lessen.

"Maybe I should call him." Hermione wondered aloud. She frowned around the words, beginning to imagine a satisfying conversation during which she would tell him how cowardly he is, and how he does not deserve a witch as brilliant as she...

Ginny shook her head emphatically. "No, don't call him."

Hermione huffed. "Why not?"

Ginny gave her a pitying look. "I waited for years for Harry to finally notice me. Don't make the same mistake I did."

Lavender arched an eyebrow. "I made the first move with Ron."

Hermione grimaced; she would not soon forget the moment that Lavender had accosted Ron in the Gryffindor common room back in sixth year. Though they were friends now, that moment had seriously affected Hermione, and she often attributed it to the fact that she was still single. Not because she was still in love with Ron, or wanted to be with him - gross; she shuddered - but because he and Harry were really the only friends she had ever had, leaving her at a loss when it came to interacting with possible romantic suitors.

"True." She sighed.

"This is the twenty-first century, Hermione." Lavender reached across the table and patted Hermione's hand in a comforting manner. "I say call Theo."

"Yes!" Hermione grinned, pulling her hand from Lavender's grip so she could clap her palms together in a dangerous display of excitement. "He deserves to know that he's a prat; ghosting is so cowardly, and it's not like he couldn't just say 'Hermione, I'm not interested'...I mean, we're not in Hogwarts anymore." She rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't have been offended."

"Not exactly what I meant, Hermione…" Lavender bit her lower lip as she surveyed her friend. "Why not just ring and ask for another - "

"Maybe - " Hermione dropped the fork, cutting Lavender off. " - I could visit the pub he goes to...Malfoy's place." She snapped her fingers repeatedly, trying to remember the name.

"The Dragon's Lair?" Ginny asked slowly.

"Malfoy, as in Draco Malfoy?" Lavender asked.

"Yes." Hermione waved a hand dismissively. "I could just be having a drink there tonight, and then I happen to bump into Theo, and confront him for being a spineless hinkypunk."

Ginny and Lavender shared a look, which Hermione missed as she began to stab her salad angrily with a fork.

"I have to go." Ginny stood and slung her purse over her shoulder. Turning, she affixed the brunette witch with a stern look that reminded Hermione far too much of Minerva McGonagall. "Please don't go to The Dragon's Lair; he'll call."

Hermione rolled her eyes but did not respond.

Later that night, Hermione once again sat at her dining room table, the landline phone and her mobile sitting in front of her. Though she willed both or either of them to ring, they both remained silent.

She sighed and glanced up at the clock in the kitchen; Theo would more than likely be at the bar by now. A quick drink would be completely harmless…a grin spread across her face as she snatched up her mobile phone and keyed Ginny's number. It went to voicemail.

"Hi Gin," Hermione began as she collected her house keys. "I'm heading to The Dragon's Lair, answer your phone if you haven't changed your mind about Theo deserving a bollocking!" She paused for the time it took her to move from the sitting room to the front door. "I knew you'd see things from my point of view!" She hung up and locked the door behind her before stepping into the cool night air.