Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling.
Again, special thanks to my beta sarenia for her help!
WE ARE (NOT) JUST FRIENDS
II.
"Tell us everything RIGHT NOW," screeched Ginny the second Hermione arrived at her bookshop. "Also, take that! This is the third time this week I'm earlier than you. I told you it was possible!"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "It was about time you learned to get here on time. And there's nothing to tell."
"Nothing? Nothing at all?" asked Hannah, incredulously. "Nothing, nothing, nothing?"
"Nothing. I thanked him, he said it was nothing, and that's it. Calm yourselves, and Hannah, please go and open the café. It's about time."
Hannah grumbled good-naturedly but did as she was told. However, Ginny wouldn't be deterred that easily.
"Are you seriously telling me that you have the number of an amazingly handsome man that gifted you an incredible bag and nothing has happened?!" If Ginny screamed a bit higher, the windows would break.
"Yes, that is exactly what I'm telling you. Now, calm down. This is not a film; nothing will happen." She glared at Ginny, and her friend glared right back.
"You, Hermione Granger, haven't got a romantic bone in your body, and I am deeply offended by your pragmatism," she proclaimed, and then she turned her back at her and walked to the counter, nose high in the air.
Hermione shook her head, smiling at her antics. Ginny had always been the same. Before she could answer that she did, indeed, have a romantic bone in her body (she wanted a Mr. Darcy of her own!), the bell rang and the first customer of the day, a tall, lean man, entered.
"Good morning, sir!" she chirped. "How can we assist you?"
The man smiled. "I believe that your presence already assisted me with this ugly and rainy day, miss. But I was looking for a book. I don't know if you'll have it here?" He made a show of looking at the shop, which was bursting with books.
She laughed. "I don't know, but we'll certainly try."
"And she actually blushed when I mentioned your name! It was very cute, she was like 'Ginny, stop', and telling me about your kindness, and–"
"Theo," interrupted Draco, trying to be patient. "How about you tell me again from the beginning? No, better yet, how about you do the work I actually pay you for and leave this for another moment?"
"Sssh, my work will be there when I return. This is much more important." Theo perched himself on Draco's desk. "So, from the beginning: I, being a very good friend, stopped at Miss Granger's bookshop this morning, trying to gauge her character."
"And why would you want to gauge her character?" Draco was pretending to work, but it was obvious he wasn't.
"Because I'm trying to follow your mother's orders and find you a girlfriend, but you're making it really difficult." They both glared at each other, and Theo continued. "Anyways, it turns out she's a delight! She helped me a lot, and even laughed at my jokes. She was very nice, Draco. You should really give her a chance."
Draco decided to ignore the last part. "Repeat again how you managed to mention my name?"
"Ah, yes. It was very easy, really. I gave her the Malfoy card to pay, and her assistant asked me whether I knew you. I said yes, and asked her how she knew you, and she told me she didn't, but Hermione did."
"And?"
"And Hermione blushed, told Ginny not to gossip, and explained to me the whole story of how you met. She told me you had been very kind, which I'm attributing to my genius thinking and quick reflexes."
"Who is Ginny?"
"Her assistant, the redhead from the web. Apparently, she also writes part-time about women's sports. She was nice, too, but married."
"Okay. Now that you've told me, would you be so kind as to go back to work?"
"No! We have to plan how you're going to accidentally meet her again! This is your opportunity! She's a nice woman, she owns a bookshop, and you've managed to leave a good impression, which happens almost never! It was thanks to me, but still."
"No, I'm not going to meet her again." Draco looked calm, but he was mentally panicking. What had that idiot he had for a friend done now?
"Oh, but you are. Don't think I haven't noticed how you've changed your route to work." Theo looked too smug for his own good. "I told her that, and added that it was because you were ashamed of the incident."
"You did WHAT? Theodore Nott, can you stop meddling in my life? Honestly, you're trying to hook me up when I can't even remember the last girlfriend you had! And don't mention my mother," he hissed, well and truly angry. He loved Theo, but honestly, that was too much.
"And," Theo was ignoring him, as usual, "her assistant told me that Hermione had also changed her route, and that you were both idiots. So now, Hermione will go by her usual route tomorrow, and you must, too! That way you can meet again! As I've already said, I'm a genius!"
"A genius?! You call that genius thinking? Have you ever–" Draco forced himself to take a deep breath. "Okay. Okay. You know what will happen? I'm going to ignore everything you've said in the last fifteen minutes, and you are going to stop trying to hook me up because I don't want a girlfriend. Now, back to work, and do repay the cost of the book because the Malfoy card is for work only. Thank you." He turned around and left, angrily muttering under his breath.
Theo shook his head. "Time to get out the big guns," he muttered, getting out his phone and typing rapidly.
Ginny? It's Theo. I need your help, Draco is being unreasonably… unreasonable about meeting Hermione.
HERMIONE IS THE BEST THING ON THIS PLANET AND IF HE DOESN'T WANT TO MEET HER, IT'S HIS LOSS
Who am I kidding, they totally need to date
How do we do it?
I've got an idea –are you free for lunch? It's better if I tell you in person
Yes. Text me an address and I'll be there in two hours
Now he only had to work a bit before going out again. Ah, the life of a lawyer.
Draco wasn't going to use his usual route for going to work. He wasn't, but apparently the London government hated him and had started construction work on his second usual route, so he had to use the other route. The one Hermione also used.
Damn.
The problem wasn't her. She was, Draco was sure, a perfectly nice woman, but he didn't want to meet her again, in case Theo got (more) ideas about his romantic life.
Of course, Murphy's Law decided to act again and there she was, distractedly walking towards him. Draco started to panic. Was he supposed to ignore her? Smile? A bit of small talk? Or something else?
Before he could decide on something, she saw him and smiled wildly, waving at him.
Fuck.
"Hi," she said, reaching his side.
"Hi," he answered back, awkwardly. Way to go, Draco.
"How are you?"
"Fine, thank you." He licked his lips nervously. "You–, you've been well, I assume?"
"Oh, yes, really well. Yesterday one of your friends came to visit me," she added, pointing with her chin at her bookshop.
"Yeah, Theo. He told me." Before she could say anything more, Draco ended the conversation abruptly. "Well, it's been nice to see you, but I've got to go to work, and I suppose you do, too. Goodbye, have a nice day."
And, just like that, he was gone, leaving Hermione standing in the street with a surprised look on her face.
Draco was very thankful his mother was not there: she would have cut his head off for his lack of manners. What a disaster.
"I'm not doing that."
"Oh, but you are."
"No."
"Yes."
"Theo, I'm not going on another blind bloody date, and that's final." Draco glowered at his friend, wondering why he kept having Theo as a friend when he was much more of a nuisance than anything else.
"Why not?" asked his friend reasonably, as if it wasn't a completely ridiculous idea.
Draco sputtered. "Why not?! Why would I, is the question! Why would I subject myself to dining with a complete stranger on what probably would be the most awkward, time-wasting dinner ever?"
"You're so dramatic. You should've become an actor instead of a lawyer." Theo rolled his eyes at him. "Honestly, you only focus on the worse aspects of life. What if you really like this woman? What if you enjoy the dinner? It wouldn't kill you to enjoy yourself once in a while, you know."
"I know how to enjoy myself, and going on a blind date isn't one of the ways. So you can just cancel it."
"No. Draco, you have to go, and you have to keep an open mind while you're at it. I really, really need you to go, and if you hate it, I swear I'll keep quiet about your dating life for the next month."
Draco stared at him for a few seconds, eyes narrowed. "Six months."
"What?"
"If I go, you have to keep quiet about my dating life for the next six months."
Theo beamed at him. "Only if you hate it," he reminded Draco, and Draco snorted.
"Oh, I will most probably hate it," he affirmed, before asking "Who's the woman?"
"It's a secret!"
Hermione knew this was a bad idea.
She knew it rationally, and she also knew it in her heart, but of course, telling that to Ginny Weasley was more or less the same than telling it to her living room wall. Because she. Just. Didn't. Listen. Or, if she did listen, she. Just. Didn't. Care.
"My little girl, all grown up." Ginny sniffled dramatically when, at least, Hermione's hair was done and her makeup finished.
"Ginny, I'm two years older than you," she said, bemused.
"Shut up and look at this masterpiece. Your date won't be able to resist you!"
"Until I start talking about Jane Austen and Victor Hugo, you mean?" asked Hermione drily, but she stared at herself in the mirror. She looked really good, with a short light blue sheath dress, hair in a polished updo, and her new black high heels.
She looked amazing, actually.
"Okay, so, are you ready to do this?" Ginny clapped her hands excitedly and took a photo of her, rapidly texting on her phone. "Hannah says you look amazing, and Luna says that your earrings complement the dress really well. This is so exciting. You're going on a date! I can't even remember your last date!"
Hermione smiled, amused. "You act as if I somehow landed on the moon! Ginny, this is a blind date, stop being so excited."
"Someone has to get excited, and that someone doesn't seem to be you." Ginny stuck her tongue at her. "Now, remember: the reservation table is under 'Ginny', I'll text you at nine and at eleven to make sure you're still okay, and please try to enjoy the night and have fun. And no sex on the first date!"
"Ginny!"
"What?! It's good advice!" She smiled innocently. "C'mon, take your purse and off you go in your carriage-taxi! I'll feed the cat and lock the door on my way out. Bye!" Hermione barely had time to fetch her things before Ginny pushed her out of the door, and kept pushing her inside the elevator.
Alone at last, she had almost twenty minutes of taxi to reflect. Did she have any hopes? No. Why had she agreed to do this? Because saying no to Ginny wasn't an option. What was her goal this night? Not to have a completely disastrous dinner. Would that be possible? She hoped so, at least.
She finally arrived at the restaurant, a new kind-of-posh place that she'd been meaning to try, and smiled at the maître.
"Reservation under 'Ginny', please."
"This way, ma'am. Your date has already arrived."
Hermione followed the man, trying to get her nerves under check. Please, please don't let him be a serial killer. Or a mansplainer.
Her date stood with her back to her as she approached, and Hermione got pale when she recognized that shade of blond hair, and the broadness of his shoulders.
"Draco?!" she asked, bewildered. He turned around to see her and looked at her with wide eyes.
"Hermione!" he exclaimed, puzzled.
Of course.
Hi again!
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