Despite the dealings of the bet between Ron and Draco all taking place in the privacy of the Head Dorms, it didn't take long for word to spread around Hogwarts. It was impossible to miss the tension between Hermione and her friends, and when Ginny asked about it, Hermione had no problems informing her friend just what her brother had done. Ginny had been appalled on Hermione's behalf and Ron had ended up getting a whack around the ear from his little sister, not to mention a lecture on respecting Hermione and why it was inappropriate for him to be wagering her on a quidditch match.

As word spread about the bet, the students took different views of the situation. A lot of them found it hilarious, and they couldn't believe the nerve of Ron. Several girls backed Ginny's stance and deemed Ron's actions disrespectful, while others made it clear that in Hermione's shoes they would snap up a date with one of the sexiest wizards in the school. As for the boys, a lot of them were envious of the date Draco had potentially won, but there was a portion who reckoned there was no way they would have bet such an expensive broomstick in exchange for a date with any girl.

Word about the forfeit Ron would be forced to do if Hermione didn't turn up on the date also spread around Hogwarts, and by the end of the week, it was all anyone could talk about. Rumours were spreading like wildfire about what the Slytherins had in store for Ron, and every day his forfeit seemed to be getting more and more embarrassing. Even the staff were intrigued about the outcome of the situation, and couldn't hide their curiosity every time they heard the students discussing the latest rumours.

By the Saturday, Hogwarts was holding its collective breath as they waited to see what the outcome of the bet would be. For the first time in a long time, almost every student eligible to go down to Hogsmeade, did so, leaving behind the disappointed students that were not yet old enough to embark on a trip down to the village. The morning for most people was spent looking for any signs of Hermione, of which there was none.

A little before twelve, Draco entered The Three Broomsticks with his friends and they found the pub was already packed. There was even a corner booth crammed full of Professors, including the headmaster and all four heads of houses. It was clear to Draco and his friends that everyone wanted to see if Hermione would turn up or not.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Theo asked as Draco grabbed himself a drink from the bar and chose a table in front of the fire that was visible from every other table in the pub.

"Yeah, we already know she's not going to show," Blaise added.

"I said I would give Weasley until one," Draco replied. "Now you two go and sit with the others. I'm waiting for my date."

"If you want to sit there with everyone watching, then that's your choice," Blaise muttered with a shrug.

As his two closest friends went off to join the other Slytherins, Draco sipped on his drink, aware that he was focus of attention in the cosy pub. However, he wasn't the sole focus for long as the door opened and Ron and Harry entered the pub, flanked by the other three Gryffindor seventh year boys.

"She won't turn up, Malfoy," Ron said with a sigh as he approached the blond while the others got some drinks and found a table.

"Has she told you that?" Draco asked.

"She hasn't actually spoken to me since she found out about the bet," Ron admitted. "But you saw how angry she was. Has she told you any different?"

"No, she hasn't spoken to me either," Draco confessed. He had tried to speak to Hermione, but the current atmosphere in the head dorms was distinctly chilly.

"Why don't we put me out of my misery now and call it a day," Ron suggested. "I'm ready for my forfeit."

"I said I would give you until one, so I will," Draco said.

"You're wasting your time," Ron said with a shake of his head as he turned and walked away from the Slytherin.

As time started to tick by and there was still no sign of Hermione, it began to look as though Ron was right and Draco was in fact wasting his time. However, he'd promised to give it until one o'clock, so even as the looks and whispered gossiping from his fellow students, and Professors, began to get on his nerves, Draco remained seated at his table. At five to one, Ron once again approached his table and suggested they call it quits.

"Sorry Malfoy, it looks like you're not getting your date."

"I thought I had until one, and by my watch it's not quite there yet," a voice called from behind Ron.

"Hermione!" With a gasp, Ron whirled around to find Hermione standing in the open doorway of the pub, his sister by her side. "You came."

"I did," Hermione confirmed, stepping into the pub and frowning slightly when she saw just how crammed it was with people from Hogwarts.

"I am so grateful, thank you Hermione," Ron gushed. "You have no idea how worried I was about the forfeit. I heard that Blaise and Theo were penning a poem, called 'An Ode to Professor Snape', and that they were going to make me perform it in front of the entire school."

"Thank Merlin that will never happen," Severus Snape's drawling voice remarked from the corner of the pub.

"As fun as it would be to see just what the Slytherins would have made you do, I decided to take pity on you," Hermione said to her best friend. "Don't get me wrong, I am still mad about what you did. But you're my best friend and I can't in all good conscience sit back and let the Slytherins force you to streak around The Great Hall."

"Something we're all very grateful for," Ginny remarked. "I don't want to see my brother's tackle, and I doubt the rest of the school do."

"We could promise to make him keep his clothes on," Blaise called. "No tackle involved, I promise."

"It's too late Zabini, Hermione's here. My bet is paid," Ron gloated.

"Not quite," Draco corrected. "The deal was lunch, and then the entire afternoon spent together. Your bet is only paid, once the date is over."

"In that case, I better join you," Hermione said as Draco got to his feet and shooing Ron out of the way, pulled out the chair opposite his for Hermione to sit down. "Thank you," she muttered as she slid into the offered seat.

"Have fun," Ginny whispered in Hermione's ear, before dragging Ron back off to re-join the other Gryffindors.

"Is it just me, or is everyone watching us?" Hermione asked as Draco raised his hand to grab the attention of one of the waiters.

"Everyone's watching us," Draco confirmed. "Is that a problem?"

"No," Hermione replied honestly. It did feel a bit strange to be the centre of attention, but she had nothing to hide and if the staff and students of Hogwarts wanted to watch her have her lunch, they were free to do so.

After ordering their lunch from the waiter and getting Hermione a drink, the pair were free to get on with their date. However, it didn't get off to the most talkative of starts as Hermione just sat studying the blond wizard opposite her.

"Why did you really show up?" Draco asked, finally breaking the silence.

"I told you, Ron's my best friend and I didn't want to see him totally humiliated."

"I don't buy it," Draco said with a shake of his head. "There's more to it than that. Admit it, you just wanted to go on a date with me."

"And why would I want to do that?" Hermione asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Because I'm irresistible," Draco returned with a cheeky grin.

"You wish," Hermione laughed. "If anyone's irresistible, it's me. After all, you went to some pretty extreme lengths to bag a date with me."

"Extreme?" Draco questioned with a frown.

"I would call bribing your chasers with bags of gold extreme," Hermione said. "Not to mention betting your brand new broomstick. What would you have done if you'd lost?"

"Handed it over," Draco replied with a shrug. "I could have bought a new one in the summer."

"Just like that?" Hermione asked. A few years ago she would have thought of Draco's casual remark as bragging about his wealth, but she now knew him better and she knew he was merely being honest. To him it wouldn't be a big deal replacing a really expensive Broomstick, or even handing over three bags full of gold to motivate his chasers.

"Just like that. Some things are more important than Broomsticks," Draco said seriously. "You're more important."

Hermione smiled slightly at the compliment, just as their food arrived. Once their food was in front of them, and the waiter had departed again, they began to eat. By now everyone else was settling down to their own lunch, and while they still kept getting curious stares, they weren't being watched with the same intensity of earlier.

"I still don't get why you made such a big deal of this though," Hermione said. "Why go to so much trouble to get me here?"

"Ah, so that's why you turned up. You were curious about my motives."

"I am," Hermione agreed with a nod. "Why make such a big fuss over a date?" Glancing around to make sure no-one was sitting too close, she still lowered her voice before continuing. "It's not like this is new for us. We've been seeing each other for months now."

"But this time we're out in public," Draco pointed out with a sly smirk. "Not only do we not have to hide, but your friends can't object as Weasley was the one who gambled you on the match. I do believe I won the wager we made back when we first got together."

Hermione's mouth fell open as she took in the deviousness of Draco's plan. They'd actually been a couple since just before Christmas, and even though tensions between her friends and the Slytherins had been starting to die down, Hermione still hadn't thought they would accept her romance. Draco had thought otherwise and he'd made a bet with her that before the end of the year he would take her out in public and not one of her friends would object. And now Ron had played perfectly into his hands, because here there were out in public and no-one was objecting.

"I don't believe you, this is so underhand," Hermione hissed.

"I'm a Slytherin darling, underhand is in my nature," Draco drawled.

"Git," Hermione spat, annoyed that she hasn't remembered their earlier bet and realised what Draco was up to.

"You're just a sore loser, Granger," Draco teased. "You do remember the terms of our bet, don't you?"

"I do," Hermione replied with a nod.

Now Draco had won she owed him a weekend where he could call all the shots in the bedroom, and a public acknowledgement of their relationship. Not that Hermione had ever intended to keep their romance a secret forever, but she'd been planning on talking to her friends once she was sure they would accept her relationship, which was why she'd been so pleased to find her friends getting on better with the Slytherins as the year progressed. Although to be fair, if Ron was willing to bet her on a quidditch match, he couldn't have too many problems with her dating Draco.

"Do you want to do it here and now?" Draco asked.

"Not while we're eating," Hermione replied.

"I can't wait to see the look on Weasley's face when he realises he bet me a date with my own girlfriend," Draco chuckled.

"It is pretty funny," Hermione admitted with a smile. She was still unimpressed with Ron thinking he had the right to bet her, but she had to admit it was amusing that he'd lost her to her own boyfriend.

"So you're not mad anymore?" Draco checked.

"I am," Hermione replied. "With every single person involved with this scheme. One day I will make you all pay."

"Okay but next time you're shouting at us, you need to use Blaise and Theo's full names," Draco said. "You yelled at everyone else with their full names, but not them. Knowing them two, they'll think it's because you're not as mad at them."

"But I don't know their full names," Hermione pointed out. "I only know yours because we're a couple."

"Okay, Blaise's middle name is Eugene," Draco whispered.

"Eugene?" Hermione laughed. "That is so un-Blaise like."

"He hates it," Draco confided. "And Theo's middle name is Theodore."

"He's Theodore Theodore?" Hermione asked with a frown.

"Yeah, he's named for his father and grandfather," Draco said. "Unfortunately they're both called Theodore."

"And they couldn't have changed one of the names?" Hermione asked.

"Family tradition," Draco replied with a shrug. "For generations now the Notts have been called Theodore Theodore."

"Poor Theo," Hermione sniggered. "But that won't stop me from getting my revenge. One day when you least expect it, I'm going to pay you all back for thinking you could bet me on a quidditch game like a sack of potatoes."

"Who would bet potatoes?" Draco questioned with a laugh.

"It's an analogy," Hermione retorted with a shrug.

"At least think of a more suitable one," Draco replied. "It was more like you were a Broomstick. After all, Weasley did place you up against my Firebolt Extreme. That's a decent comparison."

"How is it decent to be compared to a sodding Broomstick?" Hermione demanded. "I'm worth far more than a broomstick."

"Oh, I know you are, and that is why I never would have put you on the table," Draco replied with a grin. "You're far too precious to wager on a quidditch match."

"You are such a suck-up," Hermione laughed.

"Just keeping my girlfriend sweet," Draco replied. "So are you ready to go public yet?"

"How about we finish the date," Hermione suggested. "I thought you wanted to spend the rest of the afternoon with me."

"I do," Draco confirmed.

"In that case, let's enjoy our afternoon and once we're back up at the castle, we'll go public," Hermione said. "I'll not shirk on my bet. You'll get what you want."

"Including next weekend?" Draco asked. He already had a list full of things he wanted to try with Hermione, and he couldn't wait to get started.

"Including next weekend," Hermione promised.

Satisfied that he'd well and truly come out on top, Draco enjoyed the rest of his meal before he paid the bill and he and Hermione headed off to spend the rest of the afternoon together. Once they'd left The Three Broomsticks, their lunch date was all anyone could talk about. It hadn't escaped anyone's notice that the meal seemed to have gone swimmingly. In fact on several tables bets were being exchanged as to how long it would be before they were a proper couple. Not that anyone quite expected the answer they were about to receive later that afternoon.