***

See disclaimer in Chapter 1. Not mine.

***

"I, Lavender Brown, resolve to date more in the New Year."

***

It was an argument everyone in the Gryffindor common room was tired of hearing. Harry started down the steps from the seventh year boy's dormitory, smirking when he heard the angry voices drifting up the stairwell the moment the door shut behind him.

"– not enough for you?"

"That's not it, and you know it!"

The fight was escalating quickly. Harry looked at his watch – just after 8 p.m. Right on time. Lavender and Ron were more reliable than a clock these days. Every Friday night for the last month had gone just like this, starting at 8 p.m., when Lavender's date of the evening would swing by to pick her up.

"– meant something!"

Harry paused a few steps from the bottom, waiting for Lavender's standard reply. When it didn't come, he dashed into the room, certain the witch had finally had enough and was on the verge of hexing Ron.

Instead, he saw Hermione between them, speaking softly to both Lavender and Ron. They seemed to be considering whatever she was telling them, and the rest of the room watched warily. From their expressions, Harry figured he hadn't been that far off on his guess that Lavender had reached her breaking point.

"Alright?" Hermione asked, no longer whispering.

Ron glared at her, while Lavender's back went ramrod straight. Harry thought they were about to resume their argument, surprised when they both nodded to Hermione and went their separate ways; Ron, up to the dorms, and Lavender out the portrait hole toward her waiting date.

Harry sent up a silent plea that Draco was feeling understanding tonight, wheeling around and following his best friend up the stairs. Hopefully whatever had just happened could be explained quickly, and he could still join Draco in the Room of Requirement before the blond got too angry and left.

"Well?" Harry asked, watching Ron pace their dorm angrily.

"A schedule," Ron said through gritted teeth.

Harry frowned. "What?"

"A schedule. Hermione proposed a bloody dating schedule for Lavender, and she agreed. She agreed!"

Harry failed to see how this was worse than the usual Friday night ritual the not-quite-couple had started over the last month, but wisely kept his observations to himself, letting Ron have free reign to rant.

"A different date every day until she either runs out of blokes or decides to stop," Ron continued, his face, which had paled during his conversation with Hermione, turning an alarming shade of red.

"That's not so bad," Harry offered, laughing weakly when Ron turned to glare at him. "Well, it's not. How many blokes are there at Hogwarts fit enough to have a chance at Lavender? Not many."

Ron growled, and Harry winced.

"I just meant it should be over soon is all, mate," Harry said quickly, breathing a sigh of relief when the murderous look on Ron's face dissipated. "Isn't it better to speed things along if Lavender's intent on dating every available guy she can? I mean, that would take a lot of Friday nights."

Ron nodded reluctantly. He and Lavender were on the road to exclusivity, he was sure of it. She just had this fanciful notion that she needed to date as many guys as possible to make the most of her final year of school, and falling into somewhat-serious relationship with Ron hadn't been part of her plans.

"How's she setting up the schedule?"

Ron paused, his brow wrinkling. "Hermione is taking care of it. All interested blokes are to apply to her, and she'll get them on the schedule."

Harry raised an eyebrow, looking at his pouting friend.

"You'd best get down there then, before all the good spots are filled," he said, suppressing a grin when Ron's eyes lit up.

"You hadn't planned to take your turn, had you?" Harry asked, reading Ron's face easily.

"No, but it's a damn good idea," Ron muttered, heading back downstairs.

Harry looked at his watch again. Half-past. If he hurried, he could probably still catch Draco. He was confident his lateness would be forgiven; after all, he had a very juicy piece of gossip to share.

***

Monday: 7:30 p.m., Zacharias Smith

Lavender ran a brush through her hair, smiling when her reflection winked at her. She had no particular interest in the Hufflepuff she was seeing tonight, but he'd asked to be on the list, and she thought it only fair to humor him. Besides, she'd heard he was dating Lisa Turpin, anyway.

She flounced down the stairs, prepared to launch into a defensive rant when she saw Ron. Surprisingly, though, the only people waiting for her in the common room were Harry, Draco and Hermione. The witch had a clipboard in her hands, apparently ready to check Zacharias off the list when he arrived. Lavender couldn't help but giggle at the scary efficiency Hermione brought to the project.

"Ron agreed not to interfere," Hermione said without looking up. Lavender could see Draco snicker, probably at the almost preternatural way Hermione could predict others' reactions. An interesting trait from someone who scorned Divination as much as she did.

"Excellent," Lavender said, skipping toward the door. It was almost 7:30 on the dot; hopefully Zacharias would be on time. The sooner the date started the sooner it was over. She had a pile of homework tonight.

***

Tuesday: 6:45 p.m., Terry Boot

Lavender didn't even bother touching up her makeup after her last class, heading straight to the Great Hall instead. She was meeting Terry Boot, a Ravenclaw she hardly knew, and she couldn't make herself care about her appearance.

Hermione stood outside the large oak doors, clipboard in hand again. She saw the witch scribbling something furiously on the parchment.

"Alright, Hermione?"

Hermione looked up, her expression pinched.

"Everything is most certainly not alright. Boot had the audacity to ask to change his timeslot. Apparently, the house-elves are serving garlic bread tonight and he didn't want to take the chance of your garlic breath ruining his goodnight kiss."

Lavender choked, her eyes widening in alarm. She had no intention of repeating last night's debacle, when Zacharias had to be forcefully removed from the Gryffindor common room after he mistook her friendly peck on the cheek for an invitation into her pants.

"I told him it was not possible, and that his choices were to proceed with the date or forfeit his spot," Hermione continued, still scribbling. "He chose to forfeit."

Lavender breathed a sigh of relief, following Hermione into the Great Hall and heading toward the Gryffindor table. She'd never been overly fond of garlic bread, but she promised herself she'd have two helpings tonight in gratitude.

***

Wednesday: 1:15 p.m., Stephen Cornfoot

Lavender followed the Ravenclaw out through the Entrance Hall and down the cold stone stairs. She had to hurry to keep up with his brisk pace, but Hermione had warned her this date would be rushed, since Stephen was in her Arithmancy class, which started at 2 p.m. It was fine with Lavender, who had no particular interest in the average-looking Ravenclaw. It's such a shame that most of the available older blokes seemed to be from that House, she thought absently. Ravenclaws were known for their big brains and not much else.

She nearly ran into him when he came to an abrupt stop under a large tree near the lake. It was the beginning of April, but spring came late in Scotland. The bare branches held only the barest hint of buds, and the ground was still brown and hard.

Without a word, Stephen waved his wand in a complicated pattern. Suddenly, it felt a good twenty degrees warmer. Lavender rubbed her chilly fingertips together, grateful for the warmth. A Warming Charm, she thought, suitably impressed. It was easy enough to manage a personal one, but heating an entire area, outside, no less, was a much harder feat.

Lavender's lips quirked as Stephen Transfigured a blade of dead grass into a soft brown blanket, smoothing it over the ground and inviting her to sit. This must be a Ravenclaw's idea of romance, she thought with a giggle, taking the small basket he offered her.

She sat it on the blanket, not at all surprised when Stephen drew his wand again to enlarge the basket, ending the Charm with a nonverbal spell. She was delighted to find a great assortment of cold sandwiches and salads inside, lighter fare than was usually offered in the Great Hall at mealtimes.

"Thank you," she said shyly, his kindness forcing her to re-evaluate his chances at a second date.

***

Wednesday: 7:30 p.m., Theo Nott

Lavender was sitting on the sofa in the Gryffindor common room, chatting with Ginny and Dean as she waited for her latest date. She hadn't even bothered asking who it was with, knowing Hermione was handling all of the details. The girl even had a system in place to send thank-you notes after, and a ranking system to help Lavender decide whether or not a second date was warranted.

She didn't even look up when Theo strode into the room, sitting next to Hermione near the fire and starting an intense whispered conversation. They were by no means exclusive, but it seemed to be heading that way, and no one was surprised to see the Slytherin there at all hours of the day and night.

She jumped slightly when she felt a hand on her arm, frowning in confusion when Theo offered her a dim smile, holding his hand out to help her up.

"Theo?"

The Slytherin cleared his throat, shooting Hermione a dirty look over Lavender's shoulder.

"I'm your date for tonight, Lavender," he said, his tone stiff and formal.

"What –"

He didn't give her a chance to question it, pulling her toward the portrait hole. Once they were outside, he offered to escort her anywhere she'd like to go in the castle, making it clear he was there under duress and had no intention of actually carrying out the date. It had been Hermione's idea, since she was worried he was getting more serious about their casual relationship than she was comfortable with.

"Oh, Theo," Lavender said, patting him on the shoulder.

They ended up in the kitchens, eating ice cream and talking about Hermione and Ron for hours. Neither noticed Hermione's livid face when Theo finally walked Lavender back to the common room after midnight.

***

Thursday, 7 p.m., Justin Finch-Fletchley

"Isn't he gay?"

Hermione shrugged, her lips set in a grim line as she scribbled on her now ever-present clipboard.

"Won't that be, I don't know, awkward?"

Hermione sniffed, looking away. She'd been cold and distant ever since Lavender's date the night before, and the blonde witch had a good idea why.

"I wouldn't think awkward would be a problem for you," Hermione snapped, her eyes returning to her clipboard.

Lavender laughed, drawing a scathing look from the brown-haired witch.

"Listen, Hermione, it's not like that," she said, her lips twitching as she saw Hermione's hands tighten on the clipboard. "We spent the evening in the kitchens, talking about you. He was so upset you made him do this. He just wants to be with you."

Hermione studied the parchment in front of her, fighting a smile.

***

Friday, 8 p.m., Anthony Goldstein

"I heard you had a date with that Hufflepoof last night," the tall Ravenclaw scoffed, wrinkling his nose in distaste. "I don't know why you wasted your time. Everyone knows he's as queer as a three-sided Sickle."

Lavender turned, heading back up her dormitory stairs. Her "date" last night with Justin had been the most fun she'd had in ages. They'd spent the entire time hiding behind a suit of armor on the third floor and casting surreptitious Styling Charms on anyone unlucky enough to walk by. Three of Justin's fellow Hufflepuffs spent the evening sporting Slytherin green hair, while an unsuspecting Ravenclaw ended up with a temporary Mohawk.

He'd told her all about his boyfriend, a sixth year Hufflepuff named Wayne Hopkins. He'd gone out with her only to help quell the rumors about their relationship, since Wayne's parents were pure-bloods who didn't approve of his sexuality.

Hermione glared at the pompous Ravenclaw, who was still spouting nonsense about Justin, completely oblivious to Lavender's departure. She shook her head, scribbling furiously while she escorted the blustering boy out of the portrait hole.

***

Saturday, 2 p.m., Greg Goyle

Lavender waited nervously inside the Three Broomsticks, her eyes darting toward the door every time it opened. It was a Hogsmeade weekend, and she was sitting apart from the rest of the students, nervously awaiting the arrival of today's date.

She'd been shocked when Hermione told her it was Goyle, feeling both flattered and more than a little repulsed. Aside from Anthony, who'd turned out to be a bigoted idiot, she hadn't turned down a date yet, and she wasn't going to let her prejudice against Slytherin weigh against him.

She narrowed her eyes when Draco and Harry dashed through the door, heading straight for her table. They were breathless and flushed, both of them windblown and a little sweaty.

"Sorry, we had to run," Harry panted, squirming out of his light cloak and pushing up the sleeves of his Muggle jumper.

Lavender blushed, not wanting to think about what they could have been doing that would have delayed their departure from the castle so long. Most of the students had been milling around Hogsmeade for hours already. No doubt they'd taken advantage of one of their empty dorms.

"Goyle?"

Draco laughed, slinging an arm around Lavender's shoulders as he motioned to Madam Rosmerta to bring a pitcher of Butterbeer to the table.

"We thought you'd be ready for a break by now," he said, leaning in to whisper conspiratorially in her ear. "Greg agreed to sign up to be our cover. There's no way Hermione would have put us on the list."

Lavender relaxed into Draco's loose embrace, laughing easily.

"You never know," she said, arching an eyebrow. "I had the most enlightening date the other night with Justin, who told me you two have discovered some of his favorite hiding spots for covert meetings. He told me the most delicious story about catching you in a certain broom closet on the fourth floor."

Draco grinned, rolling his eyes as Harry blushed crimson.

"He was most put out," Lavender continued. "Apparently it was one of his favorite places. He said it's well suited for –" She broke off, winking conspiratorially at Draco. "– well, I don't suppose I have to tell you what it's well-suited for, considering Justin said you had already figured it out quite brilliantly on your own."

***

After spending an entertaining afternoon with Harry and Draco, Lavender returned to the castle refreshed. They'd been right – this back-to-back dating was exhausting.

"Can we take a bit of a break?" she asked Hermione, who was sprawled across her bed making notes on the ubiquitous clipboard again. They often spent evenings like this in the girl's dorm, even though Hermione had her own room.

Hermione looked up, considering Lavender's request.

"I don't see why not," she said, consulting her list again. "You have five suitors left. We could spread them out."

Lavender sighed, nodding. She nudged Hermione over, making enough room for her to lie back on the four-poster as well.

***

Wednesday, 8 p.m., Michael Corner

Lavender didn't know much about Michael other than that he was a year behind her class and was in Ravenclaw. Ginny had dated him briefly years ago, but she'd offered no insights as to how tonight's date might go.

He'd told her to dress warmly, so she'd been careful to bundle up. She felt a bit ridiculous sitting outside the common room in so many layers, but she hated being cold, so she'd taken his advice. He rounded the corner at exactly 8 p.m., carrying what looked like a Muggle cooler and several thick blankets.

"Good evening, Lavender," he said, bowing formally to greet her. It should have looked silly, given the burden he was carrying, but instead he looked like a perfect gentleman.

"Good to see you, Michael. Care to clue me in as to where we're going all kitted out like Eskimos?"

Michael gave her small smile, turning around and indicating she should follow him.

"Actually, Eskimo is an outdated term. They are more accurately termed Inuit," he said, walking along briskly. "You're probably thinking of the people indigenous to Alaska, in the United States. They're known as the Inupiat."

Lavender suppressed an eye roll, clamping down on a laugh that she was sure the serious Ravenclaw would consider inappropriate.

"We're headed up to the Astronomy Tower," he said, and Lavender was once again grateful he was leading and couldn't see her shocked expression. The Astronomy Tower?

"Michael –" she started, hoping to disavow him of any preconceived notions he might have about her. She was well aware that rumors were flying all over school about her sudden interest in dating, and not all of them were accurate – or flattering.

"We're lucky it's a clear night," he continued, carrying on as though he hadn't heard her. He probably hadn't; his ears were tucked under a heavy woolen cap in Ravenclaw colors. "We should be able to see many of the constellations that usually remain hidden this time of year."

Lavender relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief. Of course, she thought, hurrying to keep pace with his long-legged strides. What was I thinking? He's a Ravenclaw. Like they'd know the Astronomy Tower was used for anything other than educational purposes. She laughed, drawing her cloak around herself as they stepped into the frigid turret. A night of star gazing? How romantic.

***

It was nearly 2 a.m. when Lavender finally tromped back into the Gryffindor common room. She shook Hermione awake, glad the girl had stayed up to wait for her.

"Where on earth have you been?" Hermione mumbled, blinking owlishly.

"The Astronomy Tower," Lavender muttered, dropping onto the sofa next to her friend.

"The Astronomy Tower?" Hermione sputtered, coming fully awake. This was going to kill Ron. They'd all agreed to humor Lavender in her dating wishes, knowing full well that she only really wanted to be with him. But if she'd spent all hours up there with Michael –

"Star gazing." Lavender said flatly.

"A night of star gazing?" Hermione said, her anger turning to envy. "How romantic."

Lavender groaned, leaning heavily against the sofa, her arm flung over her tired eyes to block out the flickering light of the fire.

"You'd think so, wouldn't you?" she asked with a humorless laugh. "He had a star chart, Hermione. A star chart. And he wouldn't let us leave until he'd found them all. All."

Hermione giggled, stretching and climbing to her feet. She held a hand out for her tired friend, pulling Lavender up as well.

"He used your date to do his homework? That's a bit much, even for a Ravenclaw."

Lavender shook her head, groaning.

"No, that's the worst of it. He doesn't even take Astronomy. This was his idea of fun."

***

Saturday, 11 a.m., Luna Lovegood

"You can't be serious?"

Luna nodded, her blonde hair rippling over her shoulders at the motion. She was standing outside the Great Hall, picking Lavender up for their early afternoon date.

"I've received special permission from the Headmistress to take you to London," Luna said, a placid smile on her face at Lavender's shocked reaction.

"London?" Lavender repeated, the shocked incredulity on her face morphing into what could more aptly be described as cool calculation.

"Yes," Luna said, nodding enthusiastically.

"Are you gay?" Lavender asked, squinting at the Ravenclaw in front of her. "Bi?"

"Definitely not," Luna answered, her blue eyes studying Lavender closely.

Lavender gaped at the girl in front of her. What was she doing? Knowing Luna, there had to be some sort of angle here, and Lavender wasn't sure she'd like it when she finally made her way to the bottom of it.

"So this date?"

Luna laughed, smiling dreamily.

"Blibbering Humdingers are attracted to natural blonde hair," Luna said matter-of-factly. "It's best to work in pairs, since it's too much for them to resist. But the only other person I know with hair as blonde as mine, other than you, is Draco."

Lavender paused a moment, clenching her jaw to hold back a torrent of abuse. That tack never worked with Luna.

"And let me guess, these Blubbering Hamburgers live in London?"

Luna nodded, pulling an old shoe out of her coat pocket. Lavender assumed it must be their Portkey to London, though knowing Luna, it could just be an accessory.

"And why didn't you ask Draco, instead of setting up this date with me?"

Luna laughed, her eyes sharpening for a moment before losing their focus again.

"Oh, Draco made it very clear he's not interested in helping me with any other experiments," Luna said vaguely.

Lavender narrowed her eyes, taking Luna's statement apart mentally. Draco didn't seem the type to willingly go along with any of Luna's "experiments", so it must have been something she tricked him into doing. Her lips curved into a smirk when she remembered an offhand comment Harry had made a few weeks ago about spending his spring hols camping in Sweden. It had been one of the only times she'd ever seen Draco blush.

"Are we going, then?" Lavender asked, striding forward to grip the boot. She wasn't going to miss an outing to London, even if she had to put up with Luna Lovegood to get there.

***

Tuesday, 6 p.m., Kevin Entwhistle

"Tell him I'm busy, that I'm buried in homework, that my favorite band is on the wireless. Hell, tell him I'm covered in pustules and extremely contagious. I don't care. I'm not going."

Hermione growled in frustration, her hand clenched into a fist around her quill.

"He's on the list –"

Lavender whirled around, fixing Hermione with a glare so intense the brown-haired witch actually took a step back.

"Hermione. My last two dates with Ravenclaws involved boring me to tears over constellations and actually having to hex –hex! – Luna to get her to stop yanking out bits of my hair. I'm quite fond of my hair, you know," Lavender sniffed, her frown growing even deeper. "I will not go out with another Ravenclaw."

"But –"

"I. Will. Not. Date. Another. Ravenclaw."

Hermione sighed in defeat, her quill scratching against the parchment as she marked out the latest suitor.

"I'll just go deliver the bad news, then."

Lavender nodded, her arms firmly crossed.

"You do that."

***

Friday, 9 p.m., Evan Harper

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Harry asked, his legs dangling off the edge of Draco's bed as he watched the Slytherin shrug into a silk shirt.

"Harper is a Housemate," he said simply, running his hands through his hair.

"But she'll be safe –"

Draco snorted. "As if I'd let anything happen to her."

Harry sighed, looking at his feet.

"Maybe I should stay –"

"Not a chance," Draco said, pulling Harry up off the bed and pushing him toward the open door. The party started in twenty minutes, and he didn't want Harry anywhere near the dungeons when Evan showed up with Lavender.

"Did Pansy invite Nev –"

"No," Draco huffed, propelling Harry toward the common room door. "No Gryffindorks allowed, aside from the lovely Ms. Brown. Harper's rules."

Harry frowned, letting himself be pushed through the door. He turned and glared at Draco, who was now lounging against the opening, looking extremely tousled and sexy. Harry bit his lip, knowing the Slytherin couldn't resist him when he pouted.

"But –"

"No."

***

Saturday, 8 a.m., Ron Weasley

Lavender groaned pitifully as the room suddenly filled with light. Her head was pounding, and her mouth felt disgusting.

"G'way," she muttered, pulling her pillow over her head and burrowing deeper into her blankets.

"Someone had a good time last night," Hermione teased, her voice grating over Lavender's tender head like knives.

"Too early," Lavender managed, swallowing hard when a wave of nausea overtook her. What exactly had she done last night?

"Too bad," Hermione answered, pulling the covers back and slipping a vial of lurid purple potion into Lavender's limp hand. "You have a date this morning. Draco was kind enough to supply that –" Hermione nodded toward the Hangover Potion Lavender was gamely trying to swallow. "– so you'd have a fighting chance of actually making it through it."

Lavender grimaced at the taste of the potion, her eyes slipping closed as the room seemed to whirl around her. She'd taken the potion a few times before, but she was never prepared for the sickening feeling it caused as it worked.

"Is he up as well?"

Hermione laughed, throwing a pair of clean silk pajamas on Lavender's bed. The blonde hadn't made it out of her clothes the night before, and they were decidedly worse for the wear.

"Not likely," she said, helping steady Lavender as the other girl stood. "You two didn't get back here until nearly 3 a.m. It's just before eight now, so I'd guess he's still fast asleep in Harry's bed."

Lavender blinked, looking around her own dorm conspicuously empty dorm as she changed. She didn't even realize the clothes Hermione had chosen for her were pajamas, since she was so confused.

"Where is everyone?"

Hermione grinned, her eyes sparkling.

"They've all cleared out for your date," she said, arching her eyebrows knowingly.

"My date?" Lavender echoed, looking down for the first time and realizing she was in pajamas. "But –"

She was interrupted by a brisk knock against the door. Hermione hustled her back into bed, tucking her in snuggly.

"Come in!"

Lavender's eyes widened in surprise when Ron ducked his head around the door, Levitating a tray of breakfast foods in front of him. A small vase held a single rose, and she could smell the fragrant steam from her favorite herbal tea blend as he came nearer, a cute polka dot pot perched precariously on the edge of the over-laden tray.

"Good morning," he said, carefully placing the tray over her lap. He picked up a linen napkin, gently tucking it into the top of her silk pajamas before pouring her a cup of tea, adding just the right amount of sugar.

"What –"

"Breakfast in bed," Hermione said, smiling at the cute picture they made.

"Draco told me Slytherin was throwing a party for you, and I figured you might fancy a lazy day to recover," Ron said, his voice even. There was no trace of jealousy in his expression, just concern about how she was feeling. "No one throws a party like Slytherins."

"The stairs –"

Hermione covered her grin with her hand, backing out of the room. Neither of them noticed when she shut the door behind her.

"Er, I flew," he said, blushing slightly. "Broomstick."

Lavender laughed, taking a bite of pain au chocolat – her favorite pastry – before running a hand over Ron's jaw.

"It's wonderful," she murmured, her chest warming at the thought of the trouble he'd gone to. He'd even managed to bring her favorite tea and pastry. None of her other dates had shown her that much consideration. None of her other dates had made her feel even remotely like this. "You're wonderful."

Ron laughed, the tension flowing out of him at her words.

"Too right, I am," he answered cheekily, earning himself a swat on the thigh. His expression grew more serious. "Last date?"

Lavender considered his question, shaking her head after a moment. She could almost feel his disappointment.

"Not by a long shot," she said, pulling him down for a sweet kiss. "You've got lots more dates ahead of you, Ron Weasley. Don't think you're getting off that easily."

TBC: Up next, Hannah!