This is being cross=posted from Ao3. It was originally posted on 30 October 2020.

Thank you to GaeilgeRua for allowing me to use her Grammarly subscription. Any other mistakes you find are definitely me own.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling, Bloomsbury, and Warner Bros. No copyright infringement is intended.

A Colourful First Date
Rated T
Pairing: Remus Lupin/Hermione Granger
Summary: Desperate for a date, Hermione finds an eager partner in Remus. Only, the date turns into so much more.
Prompt: #HHRollADrabble August 2019: Hermione granger/Remus Lupin/Fake Dating
#RAREHPBINGO Square G3: Blue & Orange
#31DaysOfWritingChallenge October 20th: Break Up

Pacing the hall outside her office, Hermione wondered how the hell she was going to get out of this mess. Smoothing down her dark blue dress robes, Hermione tried to calm her frazzled nerves. Why on earth had she agreed to attend this dinner and then lied about having a date.

"Hermione?" a familiar voice asked, drawing her attention.

Turning, Hermione found Remus standing there with a worried look on his face. "Remus? Oh thank goodness," she gushed, hurrying forward and grabbing hold of his shoulders. "I'm so glad that you are here."

"Really?" he asked, a smile on his face. "Why is that? Is everything okay?"

"I told Harry I would come to his and Ginny's engagement party, even though Ron and I just broke up a week ago," she explained frantically.

"What's wrong with that?" Remus asked, wondering rigidly why Hermione was still clinging to him.

"I said I was bringing a date."

"Ah," he said nodding. "I see. You don't have a date, do you?"

"Not even a chance at one," she admitted, finally dropping her hold on the older wizard. "I'm not sure what to do, Remus. Do you know anyone willing to go with me so last minute?"

Running a hand through his hair, Remus had to bite back a smile. This was the perfect opportunity he had been waiting for all these years. "I suppose I could go with you if you would like?"

"Really?" Hermione sighed with relief. "That would be wonderful. I would owe you big for this, Remus."

"You don't owe me anything more than a dance at the party," he replied, and then glanced around the hall. "So I don't suppose you have any dress robes in your office, do you?"

Laughing, Hermione shook her head. "I'm so sorry. I don't, but I think Percy keeps a spare in his."

"Let's go and find out, shall we?" Remus offered his hand, and when Hermione took it, led the way to Percy's office.

After rifling through Percy's closet, Hermione found only one set of spare robes, but they were not ideal. Holding them up for Remus to see, she frowned. "This is all we've got to work with, I'm afraid."

Grimacing, Remus took the robes from her and had to laugh. "You're right, this isn't ideal, but it will be fine. Let me get dressed, and then we can be on our way."

Walking into the party, Hermione knew all eyes were on her and Remus. She may have beautiful blue robes, but beside her, Remus was dressed in the brightest orange dress robes she had ever seen. Why Percy had them was a mystery to her. She was sure there would be questions from him to answer later. Already he was eyeing up her date and frowning, but that was something to worry about tomorrow…

Grabbing hold of Remus's and she said, "Into the fire we go."

"Everything will be fine, Hermione. I promise you that," Remus whispered as they wandered through the other guests at the party. "Now, how about that dance?"

"Lead the way," Hermione said nervously.

As they danced, Remus decided to ask Hermione some questions. He didn't mind being dragged to a party, but he was definitely curious as to why it was so important she didn't come alone. "What happened with you and Ron?"

"I broke things off because he wanted children, but I wasn't yet ready," she explained, trying to look for her ex, but also wanting to give her fake date attention. "I set him free so I could keep working on my career. Only, I feel rather ridiculous now because he's already moved onto someone else."

"I can understand that," Remus said softly, twirling them about the dance floor. "Breakups can be hard, but it can be even worse when you're not ready to move on yet."

"I realized I was actually happier without him," she said sheepishly, looking down at her feet as they danced. "I love Ron as a friend, and I regret holding onto the hope of us working for so long. I also realized I may be ready to move on, but I'm not sure if anyone would want to be with me while I'm busy building my career."

"Well, what if this wasn't for pretend?" Remus asked, holding Hermione closer. "What if we actually were on a proper date right now?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, tilting her head.

"Listen, I'm older and not looking to have children anytime soon, either," Remus explained. "I find you attractive and could see building something special with you if you were up for it. However, I don't want to push if you don't think that sounds like something you would enjoy, though."

Smiling, Hermione nodded. "You know, that actually sounds nice."

"Good," Remus said, smiling when he felt Hermione relax in his arms. "Then welcome to our first date."

"Thank you for bringing me," Hermione said, laying her head on his chest.

The rest of the evening went smoothly despite her ex being there. As Hermione and Remus danced the night away, their blue and orange robes continued to draw attention their way, but they only had eyes for one another.