I am very excited to present to you guys, the Bachelor: Wizarding Edition! This story will be 15 chapters, including an Epilogue! Updates will be every Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays! I hope you guys enjoy the first chapter! More will be explained as the plot goes on!
FOUR YEARS AFTER THE BATTLE OF HOGWARTS
Throwing down the Daily Prophet in disgust, Hermione Granger cursed her (now) ex-boyfriend Ronald Weasley, as she saw the headline of the article.
"RON WEASLEY, QUIDDITCH STAR, MOVES ON FROM WAR HEROINE TO A NEW WOMAN!" read Hermione, "What the bloody hell is this?" she grumbled, rolling her eyes.
For the last three or so years, Hermione Granger had been dating her best friend, Ron Weasley. She knew that Ron loved her, but their relationship was quite mundane and not filled with love, passion, and excitement as it should have been.
They agreed to amicably part ways, and almost immediately, Ron had thrown himself at Lavender Brown. The press was having a field day at this revelation, and for the last two weeks, everything on the front page of the Daily Prophet had been reports and false rumors of their relationship.
Groaning, Hermione took a large sip of her morning coffee.
Hermione was currently a pediatric Healer at St. Mungo's, and had just completed her residency training just a few months prior. Ron had known that her being a Healer would cause conflict in their relationship, especially because Hermione would work odd hours and sometimes be on call at difficult times.
The rest of the Weasley family had warned Ron about this, yet their arguments over who could do what would always divide the family at times.
Hearing a knock against the window, Hermione stood up and began walking towards the large balcony off of her living room. Her large, yet cozy penthouse was a gift from her parents after they found out what Hermione had done in order to save them during the war. The penthouse had fourteen-foot tall ceilings, and a large balcony with lights hung just off on the side.
"Hello, sweetheart," exclaimed Hermione, sliding the door open to let her best friend Daphne Greengrass's brown barn owl in, "What do you have for me today?"
Daphne Greengrass, a Slytherin in Hermione's year, had come to her and apologized after the Battle of Hogwarts for everything that the Slytherins had done over the last six years of Hermione's magical life. Of course, Hermione insisted on taking her out for a drink, and the two had becaome friends.
Coincidentally, Daphne and Hermione ended up at the same hospital ward, working the exact same shifts, in the exact same residency ward, and had instantly become best friends over shared trauma, laughter, and inside medical jokes.
Dear Hermione,
I know we're going to see each other at 9 pm today, but I just HAD to write to you about this! You know how my sister Astoria is a producer at Witch Weekly, right? Well, have you ever heard of the muggle show the Bachelor? It's where one man, and thirty women who have to compete for his love! And guess what, they're accepting applications! I know you JUST got rid of dating Ron, oops that sounded mean, but this sounds like a really great opportunity to be able to meet someone new! What if he's foreign? What if he's got an accent? Ugh, I'm so excited! We should totally fill out applications together, okay? Let me know! I'll see you at the Charmer for drinks tonight at 9, right?
Love you,
Daphne Greengrass.
Rolling her eyes, Hermione felt like snorting. She had seen clips and segments of the Bachelor before, and she knew how stupid it was. Thirty girls competing for the love of one man?
She loved Daphne and their friendship, but she also oftentimes felt like she wasn't feminine or girly enough to "hang" with Daphne's friend group.
Giving Daphne's owl, Luca, a treat, she hastily wrote back.
Dear Daphne,
Yes! Drinks at 9 at Charmers, I'm totally down for it. Are you sure you want to enter a silly tv show about love? This show seems awfully... awkward. We should wait until more information comes out. But I love you, and I'll support you either way. Can't wait to see you soon!"
Love you,
Hermione J. Granger
Tying the letter to Luca's legs, she let the barn owl go and promptly shut the door quickly.
This was going to be a weird time for witches all over wizarding England.
9 PM, THE CHARMER
"Hermione!" exclaimed Daphne, throwing her arms around her best friend, "Oh it is so, so good to see you!"
"We just saw each other two days ago," laughed Hermione, hugging her tightly, "But it was two days too long."
"My shifts have been horrible," complained Daphne, "I love being a Healer, don't get me wrong, but oh my goodness, the last two days have been horrible. There's been an uptick in premature babies, and I always feel so stressed when delivering them."
While Hermione was a pediatrics Healer, Daphne specialized in women's health, specifically in obstetrics, which dealt with helping pregnant women and their unborn babies.
"Well, my ward has been fairly peaceful since," said Hermione, shaking her head, "I don't understand how you can do obstetrics."
During her training, Hermione had been exposed to a lot of different types of medical professions, and she distinctly remembered how much delivering babies had scared her, especially since she knew how much was on the line.
She decided to stick to pediatrics, once all of her training was over.
"It's fun though," grinned Daphne, "Lots of happy mums at the end of the day. But enough about work. Hermione, come on. The Bachelor! In England? That's going to be so fun," she gushed, "And Astoria told me that they'll be streaming it all over! It's going to be so great."
"We don't even know who the guy is," pointed out Hermione, "What if he's a total jerk?" she remarked, "Or worse, what if he's someone we know?"
"There are a lot of single guys out here in wizarding England," shrugged Daphne, "Maybe he'll be the one for one of us," she teased.
"You're just saying that because the last guy you dated was horrible," laughed Hermione, "Remind me to never date a German guy."
"He was nice at first," defended Daphne, "But somewhere along the lines he became so insufferable."
All of a sudden, a tall, brown-haired, and blue-eyed guy appeared, setting his hand on Daphne's shoulder.
Drawing her wand, Daphne turned around, only to see her good friend Theo Nott.
"Oh my goodness, Theo!" exclaimed Daphne, dropping her wand, "Oh, it's so good to see you," she gushed, hugging him tightly.
Picking up her best friend's want, Hermione instantly made eye contact with the Slytherin, who was dressed in a black suit, and his blond hair gelled back.
"Miss Granger," nodded Theo.
"Mr. Nott," said Hermione, feeling her cheeks go red.
"How have you been?" asked Daphne, a large smile on her face, "We've missed seeing you at the clubhouse recently."
"I'm doing well," nodded Theo, "Sorry, I haven't been around. It's just been a little bit awkward lately, especially with Astoria and all," he apologized.
Suddenly remembering that Theo had dated Daphne's sister, Hermione reminded herself to start reading the news more.
"Wait a second, you own this bar, don't you, Theo?" asked Hermione, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes ma'am," said Theo, his eyes running up and down Hermione, who was wearing a tight, yet modest baby blue long-sleeved dress.
"Theo owns two bars, and a hotel," remarked Daphne proudly, "And they're all doing so well."
"So what made you want to open a bar?" asked Hermione, shooting Daphne a questionable look.
"Well, I've always loved business," shrugged Theo, making eye contact with Hermione, "And I realized I enjoyed going to bars after going to Berlin for a week after I finished our Seventh Year at Hogwarts."
"Well, I'm glad you enjoy your job," said Hermione, nodding, "Your menu is incredible by the way."
Smirking, Theo simply nodded, "Thank you. I put a lot of hard work into this baby, and I chose all of the drinks and food items myself. I'm very very hands-on, you see."
Coughing, Daphne pinched Theo's arm, "Thanks, Theo. Hopefully, we can meet up soon!"
Taking the hint, Theo nodded, "Of course, ladies. Thanks for stopping by," he said, before turning around and leaving.
"You're blushing!" laughed Daphne, turning around and immediately noticing her best friend's red face.
"I am not!" exclaimed Hermione, groaning, "I don't know what's gotten into me. Must be the mojito shots," she said, sighing.
"It's alright!" teased Daphne, "Theo is a very attractive guy. If he wasn't like my younger brother, and my sister didn't date him, I would totally go after him."
"What does Astoria think about that?" remarked Hermione, snorting, "I don't actually know too much about Theo."
"She's over it," dismissed Daphne, "Astoria wants a man who will do whatever she wants. You know Theo, he's stubborn and always so careful about what he wants. Astoria loves risks, and they weren't compatible. Just like you and Ron."
"Just hearing his name makes me want to drink even harder," groaned Hermione, slamming her head onto the bar counter.
"How's your relationship with the Weasley family then?" asked Daphne curiously.
"They understand why I broke up with Ron," she grumbled, "They could see how different we are. Besides, why would my relationship with the Weasleys affect anything else?"
"Bloody hell, Hermione," laughed Daphne, "You're the freaking Second War Heroine. You are Harry Potter's best friend, and the reason why those two morons survived at all! Also, how are the Weasleys?" she asked.
Raising an eyebrow, Hermione noticed the way her eyes suddenly glazed over, "You don't have a certain crush on anyone one of them, do you?" she questioned, snorting.
"Not a Weasley," laughed Daphne, "Harry."
"Harry?" asked Hermione, spitting out her mojito, "Harry Potter? What?"
"It's a big problem" sighed Daphne, sipping her red wine, "Remember when we went to celebrate your birthday? Well, I got to talk to him, and oh my gosh, he is just so sweet," she gushed, biting her lip.
"You're crazy," laughed Hermione, shaking her head, "Crazy, I tell you."
"I mean, if Ginny didn't want him, I sure as hell do," said Daphne, winking.
Harry and Ginny had immediately started dating after the Battle of Hogwarts, but they soon found out that they weren't good as lovers, and decided to stay friends.
Since then, Ginny had started dating around, and Harry had been on a few dates here and there, but he could never find anyone to truly settle down with.
"Maybe he'll be the Bachelor," teased Hermione, playfully pushing her best friend.
"Oh, don't get my hopes up!" groaned Daphne, "Shut up!"
"Try and make me," replied Hermione, before clinking her glass against Daphne's, "Drink up, girl!"
The next morning, Hermione woke up with a slight hangover.
Groaning, she fumbled around her nightstand for her glasses.
"Hermione, you need to learn how to hold your liquor," she mumbled, smacking her lips.
Slipping some of her clothes on and putting her glasses, she stumbled towards the kitchen, where her owl, Grace, was sitting on the step on the kitchen window.
"Hello, Grace," said Hermione, grinning, "Good morning, beautiful."
She handed Grace a treat, and the sweet, brown owl nibbled on it, before dropping the letter that was attached to her.
"Only one letter, today?" asked Hermione, happily, "That's good."
Opening the letter, Hermione noticed that it was from Daphne. Again.
Dear Hermione,
Holy crap! Hermione, guess what! Astoria just told me that they're picking the girls out for the Bachelor this week! Do you want to sign up! I'm hearing rumors that the Bachelor is going to be Charlie Weasley! He's actually really attractive, so I'm so excited! I know that you already know some of them, but I'm going to sign up today! I love you! Going to see you later at Mungo's? Alright! I know Charlie is like... 7 years older than us, but seriously! A dragon master? So, so cool!
Love,
Daphne Greengrass
Shaking her head, Hermione simply laughed at her best friend's excitement.
If only Hermione knew what was going to happen in the next ten weeks.