Chapter 1

"Hermione? Are you awake?"

"Mm, I am now… What's all this?"

"Morning! Thought you might like some – er, breakfast in bed."

"Really? This is for me?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's just what you usually have, y'know, downstairs… but I brought it up. Bit daft, now that I think about it."

"No, no! Ron, it looks great. Thank you!"

"You're welcome."

"I've never had breakfast in bed before. Well, unless you count stays the hospital wing, which I definitely don't! … Wait – is this an apology for something?"

"Oi, give me some credit! D'you really think I'd try to bribe you into good humour with food?!"

"Well it works on you! Alright then, if it's not that, then what?"

"I thought… I just thought maybe we could do something nice today. Just the two of us... Like a date. And I thought this would be a good way to start it."

"A date?"

"Well it's been over a month since the war ended and you've been great for staying here and helping mum and I know I couldn't have gotten though the funerals without you, but–"

"I wanted to be here for those things, Ron. And you were just as supportive of me–"

"Look, I just don't want you to think that all I'm after is sitting around the Burrow all day, kissing you. I mean, the kissing is great and everything, but I want to do proper boyfriend things: like take you places and make you breakfast or dinner or… I dunno, whatever you're hungry for!"

"That sounds lovely!"

"Yeah?"

"Absolutely. I've never really had a date before, outside of Hogwarts. What would you like to do?"

"I've got a few ideas, but you can choose."

"You have plans?! Oh my goodness, this is really exciting!"

"Careful Hermione, you'll knock the tray over! … How about I tell you the options while you eat. If you hate them all, I'll come up with something better and we can go another day."

"No, we are definitely going today. I have complete faith in you!"

"Well, my first thought was that we could go into London...? Muggle London, so we're not recognised. There's a fair on this weekend that I think you'd like and then we could get dinner or go for a walk in that park you're always on about, whatsit called?"

"Hyde Park."

"Right, so we could get hot chocolate and walk through there for a while. But if you don't like that idea, Plan B is that we Floo to–"

"Wait, I do like the first option! Tell me more. Where will we eat?"

"Oh, that's easy. You always liked the French stuff the Hogwarts elves served up, so I asked Fleur for restaurant recommendations and she gave me a list of places. We can just choose one of those."

"What a good idea! I've read before that it's always a good choice if natives go there to eat. Ron, you plan the most thoughtful dates!"

"Steady on, that's a lot of pressure! I mean, I've been planning this for two weeks but… well, it could still go wrong."

"That long? Why didn't you ask me sooner?"

"No point, the book fair is a yearly thing and it's only on this weekend."

"The fair is a book fair? Are you serious?"

"Yeah, the advertisement said London's Rare Book Fair... or something like that. Those the sort of books you'd be interested in?"

"I have to get up! Take the tray! When did it start, Ron? Are we late? Oh, I'm so glad I still have birthday money saved up, this is going to be bloody brilliant!"

"Did you just say–?! ...What's wrong? What're you stopping for?"

"Oh Ron, my favourite place, my favourite food, my favourite things? This isn't a fair date if it's only what I want to do."

"S'all right, I want you to have fun. Besides, there might be a friendly on between the Cannons and Puddlemere next Thursday afternoon and I was thinking, y'know, if today goes well…"