Chapter 3

It was two hours into the Quidditch game when Hermione's anger hadwas dissipated sufficiently for her to enjoy the match between England and France. While she was by no means enamoured with the game, she had watched enough of them at school, and besides, her two best friends and the whole Weasley clan were mad about it, so it was impossible not to at least know what the game was about and how to enjoy it. She knew she had surprised Draco and his Slytherin friends with her occasional remarks on the play and her genuine shouts of joy when England scored. They were in a private box in a small section of the stadium, part of the small minority of English fans in the sea of French supporters on native soil, but it seemed they all made just as much noise as their counterparts.

She knew that Draco had tricked her into attending this game as his means of revenge for their Muggle date a week ago, and she was determined that he would not have the satisfaction of seeing her squirm. She was, therefore, surprised when she was not unanimously snubbed or harassed. In fact, she was slowly included in their light banter and comraderie. She even participated in a small flirtation with Blaise Zabini, who made no attempts to hide his fascination for her. She would discover later that he was secretly dating a pretty Muggle-born in Ginny's year and that he had scored major points on account of their newly-formed acquaintance.

When the referee signalled that the game was to go into intermission so that the fans could catch some sleep, she was at a loss. She had brought no luggage with her, and she had no means of returning home, having no idea where in France the game was being held. She thought for a brief moment that Draco's revenge would be complete if he abandoned her here, but before she could even panic, he told her he had booked a hotel room for her in Paris, and, if she was agreeable, they would first Portkey to the restaurant he had mentioned. Relieved, she consented. Moreover, they agreed to put aside their differences and enjoy the meal. She found herself fascinated by their dinner conversation, discovering that they shared similar interests in books and even – oh, the shock! - some of the same opinions on the Ministry's attempts at rebuilding both itself and the post-Voldemort Wizarding world. What they differed on, they debated fiercely but eloquently. A small part of her mind regretted that they were such bitter enemies at school as a result of a set of seemingly arbitrary and certainly hardly relevant prejudices. She vowed to make more of an effort to be less impatient with her pure-blood co-workers.

For his part, Draco discovered, to his surprise, that he was actually enjoying the time he was spending in Hermione's company. He had admittedly only thought of seeking payback, but seeing her enjoy the Quidditch game, when he expected her to be miserable, then finding her able to hold her own against his friends, and now having a stimulating conversation with her in his favourite restaurant made him view her in a completely different light. Granted, she had not turned all of a sudden into a beautiful goddess that he loved and worshipped, but he certainly would not mind spending more time with her. A tiny corner of his mind cursed his pure-blood prejudices, for here was someone who would have made a great friend in school. Blaise was the only other person with whom he could have real conversations. The Slytherin girls were completely hopeless, empty-headed vessels conditioned only to think of how they could find suitable husbands once they were of marrying age. Well, those silly girls would now have to settle for the ugly and dim-witted among the less-than-pures. He couldn't help smirking at the thought of the Greengrass sisters having to marry some middle-class, Muggle-born sod. Thoughts of the Greengrasses led inevitably to a comparison with the lively, witty, brilliant witch before him. Well, if he played his cards right, he just may have found the best catch the Ministry had to offer. Now, the trick was to make sure she couldn't escape.