Written for the Granger Danger Event: PansyHermione, First Date.
Word count: 1063
First Date
Pansy is the one who plans their first date, almost two full weeks after they've first met. It may seem like a lot of time, but for Hermione, who's juggling between classes, homework, more homework and trying to start her own charity for disfavored children, it flies by in the blink of an eye.
The fact that Pansy seems unable to stop texting her about everything that happens during her day, from selfies of her having breakfast to what new stupid thing her classmates have said, does help greatly in that.
Still, she hasn't actually seen more than a few glimpses of Pansy in passing in those two weeks―their fortuitous first meeting at the coffee shop seems to, unfortunately, have been a one-time thing―and so, when the day of the date arrives, Hermione is more anxious than she's ever been in her life.
Even her A-Levels hadn't been this stressful―though in retrospect that might be because of how much work she'd put in those, enough that she'd been confident she wouldn't forget anything important.
There isn't any kind of similar revision work she can do for social interactions with a girl she likes, more's the pity.
Hermione isn't one to be really into fashion, but she still makes an effort to put together a nicer outfit than what she'd worn to class. Pansy's still refusing to tell her where they're going, only saying that they can walk there from the campus and that it's a restaurant she's heard good things about, so Hermione doesn't have a lot to go on.
She settles for a soft cream blouse she loves and the dark blazer her mother gifted her for Christmas last year, and black jeans. She puts on some pink lip gloss, too, and concealer, but she stops there, well aware that makeup isn't her forte. At all.
She meets Pansy not far away from the Starbucks where they'd first met―a Starbucks that she's quickly come to refer to as theirs, at least in her mind―and when she sees Pansy arrive, her breath catches in her chest a little.
Pansy looks radiant in the dying light of the afternoon, and when she finally notices Hermione, she blatantly checks her out, a smile spreading on her lips slowly.
"Hi," Hermione breathes out nervously when Pansy reaches her.
"Hi," Pansy echoes, still smiling. She doesn't let the silence grow awkward, immediately offering Hermione her hand and saying, "Shall we?"
Hermione laughs, slipping her hand in Pansy's, entangling their fingers. It makes her heart race, how easy and natural it feels. It's a little scary, honestly, how much she likes Pansy already. "Let's," she says, refusing to let her mind ruin this moment for her.
Pansy hadn't lied―the restaurant is a short walk away from the campus.
It's also called The Slytherin Corner, and it's a new place that Hermione knows asks for in reservations. As in, almost a month in advance reservations.
"How did you even get us a table there?" Hermione whispers urgently, gaping a little, as the waiter shows them to their table.
Pansy flutters her eyelashes coquettishly, smirking. "Oh, have I impressed you?"
Hermione snorts, but she can't find it in herself to lie. "Maybe," she replies. "So, how did you?"
Pansy shrugs, fingers slowly tracing the edge of her cutlery. "Let's just say that I know some people."
Hermione doesn't quite know what to say to that, so she just nods.
Even if this restaurant isn't exactly the kind of place where Hermione would normally feel at ease, there's something about Pansy that makes it easy to relax in her company. By the time their food arrives, Hermione has managed to forget how out of place she'd felt in this fancy place.
The conversation flows easily, just as it had in their frequent text messages―Hermione finds that Pansy's anecdotes about her classmates are even more hilarious when she gets to see Pansy's unimpressed glower as she narrates them, and in return Hermione tells Pansy about the kind of trouble her best friends used to get her into back in high school.
"Trouble which I'm sure you had nothing to do with," Pansy teases once Hermione finishes telling her about the time Harry, Ron and herself ended up locked in the teachers' room after class and had to choose between climbing out of the window or getting detention.
(they had chosen the window)
"Of course not," Hermione laughs, faking offense. "I would never," she swears, putting a hand over her heart―though she's rather sure that the smirk she can't quite repress betrays her.
They talk about their families a little―Hermione has plenty of funny stories about weird clients of her parents, like that one guy who only realized that he wasn't at his doctor's but rather at a dentist's when he walked out of his consultation (the leading theory is that he'd been high n something), while Pansy confesses that her parents had her late, so they're both retired now.
"I honestly don't know what they do with their days, now," she says. "But they seem happy, which I guess is the most important thing."
Her face softens as she says it, and Hermione's heart at how obvious Pansy's love for her family is.
"I don't think my parents would handle retirement well," she chuckles. "They'd get bored, and my father would probably blow up half the garage trying to work on his car, and then my mother would murder him and end up in prison."
"And we wouldn't want that, now, do we?" Pansy laughs, the sound crisp and sharp but undeniably beautiful.
Feeling bold and daring, Hermione quips, "I don't think she could pull off a prison jumpsuit, no."
Their desserts arrive while they're still laughing, and the waiter eyes them with amusement as he puts down Hermione's chocolate fondant first, and then Pansy's strawberry shortcake.
Pansy must notice the way Hermione's eyeing her dessert―in her defense, it looks amazing―because she huffs a laugh and pushes her dish a little closer to the center of the table, clearing out their empty glass out of the way with her other hand.
"Want to share?"
Hermione feels herself smile, and she pushes her own dessert forward with nary a pause. "Sure."
And later, when they kiss, Hermione tastes chocolate and strawberries, and she can't stop smiling for the entire walk home.
