He stood her up.

She hadn't wanted to consider that possibility. Cormac could be a little insensitive and selfish at times but surely he wouldn't be such a prick that he'd leave her high and dry. She'd arrived at the Leaky a little past six, settling into a boot in the far corner. Hannah came to kindly ask her if she'd like anything to drink while she waited so she asked for some gillywater, murmuring a thank you as the blonde turned to retrieve it.

The minutes slowly passed by, rolling down to fifteen after. She tried to be optimistic and not to let her mind wander. Tonight he was playing a game in Brazil. Hermione couldn't attend, which was what he'd initially wanted of her. There was a very important meeting at work that needed her attention instead and so she'd apologetically suggested they follow up with a nice little date once he was finished. Cormac was irritated at the change of plans but ultimately agreed.

That brought her to now.

Hermione tapped her fingers on the table, her teeth raking over her bottom lip.

Her friends had reacted poorly to the news that she was going out with Cormac. Ron thought she was under a spell. Harry was in disbelief and reminded her of sixth year, specifically at the Slug Club party and as for Ginny, she brightly asked if he was good in bed-deliberately ignoring Ron's cry of Ginny and Harry squeezing his eyes shut at the image.

They hadn't done that. She wasn't that...loose.

No, their thing if that was the correct word for it, began when she'd accidentally bumped into him while moseying down the street of Diagon Alley, her head turned to briefly watch the displays of Flourish and Blotts, turning back at the last second and bumping into a toned chest. Things progressed from there on. She'd believed he'd changed for the better, greatly maturing since his Hogwarts days. Combine that with a sense of loneliness because everyone else she knew had someone-all but her-it didn't take much for her to accept his invitation to get a drink with him.

"Here you go," Hannah returned, gently lowering the beverage onto the table. She straightened up afterward, her kind smile fading slightly at seeing the other side of the booth still empty. "Are you here by yourself, this evening?"

"No," Hermione said, feeling embarrassed. "He's coming. Cormac has a game tonight but he'll be here. It's probably just running late, that's all."

Hannah nodded carefully. "Alright. Well, if you need a refill or something, just holler."

"Okay."

Hermione slumped a smidgen when Hannah's footsteps retreated back to the counter. It was now twenty minutes after six. She tried to calm down, tried to tell herself not to be so ridiculous. It was five minutes, not sixty. She was starting to overreact. If it were Lavender or Pavarti, they probably would have been crying about how everything was ruined and they were going to be alone forever. She was not that silly. She was not a schoolgirl anymore. She was a grown woman. A grown, accomplished woman. He must have just gotten held up. That was it. It had to be it.

Six-thirty rolled around.

Sixty-thirty five.

Six-forty.

Hannah had come by twice now, refilling Hermione's gillywater. She didn't ask again, but she didn't have to. It was evident what she was thinking. She came to the conclusion before Hermione did. The unmistakable gleam of pity was strong on her face. And she hated it; hated that it was aimed toward her. But even more so-

She hated being stood up.

Just as she was starting to think he had changed, that things might actually work out, he proved her wrong. How could she have been so foolish? Harry had warned her about getting involved with Cormac, out of concern of her possibly ending up hurt. She'd ignored that, though. She chalked it up to him still hung over petty teenage behavior. Ron warned her as well but it was in a much more...colorful way that made her scold and smack him repeatedly.

Why hadn't she listened? She should have. If she did, she wouldn't be where she was now: alone in a booth. She probably looked pathetic to everyone else around her. Some of the other patrons who came in after Hermione were already gone. She'd seen them glance in her direction as they meandered out the door.

He isn't coming, obviously. I should leave before I make more of a fool out of myself.

She sighed and was about to pull out a few galleons to pay for her drink when someone slid into the booth. Her head snapped up, startled to find Percy Weasley sitting across from her. He was in his pristine looking robes from work and his curly hair was wild-he'd given up slicking it back with gel after the war was over. He smiled at her pleasantly, as if this were a normal occurrence.

Hermione was sure she was gaping like a rather unattractive fish. "What are you-"

"I'm so sorry I'm late, darling," he said somewhat loudly for being indoors. "I was stuck in a meeting and couldn't get out for a few minutes to owl you. I hope you don't mind."

Hermione's brain short circuited. She couldn't believe he was there, sitting there and doing this. And then there was him calling her darling. She typically wasn't for pet names but this had her stomach flip-flopping. She still couldn't properly speak, so she exhaled.

"You look lovely tonight," he said smoothly.

She was dressed no differently than usual. She'd changed out of her work robes and put on something semi casual. More casual than him right now. "Thank you," she said with furrowed brows.

Hannah came back to the table with a knowing smile. "Would you like a drink, Percy?"

"A butterbeer, please," he requested kindly.

"Coming right up," she left to go get it.

Hermione met his eyes. He was still smiling at her. "What are you doing?" she said with a slight laugh.

"I'm just relaxing after a hard day," he responded, shrugging.

"You know very well what I mean."

Percy didn't answer right away. "McLaggen is a prick," he eventually said.

"That we can agree on," she muttered.

"You deserve better," Percy said quietly. "So much better than him."

She was touched by his words. "But how did you even-Oh. You heard, didn't you?" Cormac had come by her office earlier that evening to discuss their plans-when she thought they had plans. He'd gotten a touch too loud when he found out things wouldn't be going the way he wanted.

They spent the rest of the evening talking about everything and anything. They laughed over fond memories, the stories he told of his siblings from their early years and he confided in her about how his mum was trying to set him up on countless dates-she laughed when he made a face at that-certain that he needed to find the right woman. She understood, of course, having been a victim of Molly Weasley's matchmaking attempts before.

They were having an extraordinary amount of fun. Hermione really enjoyed herself. It was more than she experienced with Cormac, it dawned on her. Conversing with Cormac could be exasperating or endearing. But Percy was different. He was polite, charming and funny. George had made remarks on a previous occasion about Percy not being funny. He was very wrong.

He had Hermione snorting and spitting out her drink, which in turn made him start laughing. They were oblivious to the fond stares from other people and soft smiles from Hannah. It was such a shame when time passed and Hannah approached them and told both of them that the Leaky was closing soon.

"What?" Hermione was caught off guard. "We've been here for-four hours?"

Percy was surprised as well.

"Mhm," Hannah smirked. "What's the muggle saying, Hermione? Time flies when you're having fun. Have a good evening you two." She turned, hair swaying behind her.

There was a brief lapse of silence.

"I...I didn't realize it's been that long," Hermione felt somewhat awkward.

"Nor had I."

"I should get going," Hermione got up and felt significantly smaller than Percy, who towered over her at a little over six feet.

"So should I," Percy agreed, licking his lips. Her eyes zeroed in on them, pink and plump and-

Hermione swallowed. "Well, er, goodbye, Percy. Thank you for a wonderful evening."

"Of course," he said.

She walked out of the building and into the street. It was dark out except for a few faint lamps. She was about to walk a bit further before apparating away but then she heard his voice calling for her.

"Hermione! Wait up!" Percy rushed after her, halting in front of her. Breathless.

She waited patiently for him to catch his breath.

"Don't go back to McLaggen."

She blinked. That was what he needed to tell her?

"He's a git. He doesn't deserve you. I know we barely know each other and you probably just think of me as Ron's older brother but-" he looked embarrassed and unsure of himself.

She understood now. "When you said I deserved better...did you mean you?"

"I hoped," he admitted. He looked at her straight in the eyes. "Hermione, will you accompany me on a date next Saturday night? I want to show you how a lady ought to be treated."

Her heart fluttered. As far as she was concerned, her and Cormac were over, not that they'd really been on. She'd wasted time on him that she shouldn't have. It was time to fix that.

"I'd love to."