Hermione POV
I had gone on a total of three dates in my entire life. My first had been that almost perfect magical night with Viktor Krum at the Yule Ball. Ron well and truly fucked up that night. Honestly, he fucked up all my dates. They had all been about trying to forget about him, or trying to hurt him or at the very least an attempt to make him notice me. After the Yule Ball incident, there had been that terrible date with Cormac to Slughorn's party during 6th year. Then, during Christmas break that same year, I went on a date with a muggle boy I met at the library. The entire dinner, I had stared at that boy wishing his hair was less brunette and more red. It had been nothing more than an experiment in trying to feel normal and forget about Ron's relationship with Lavender Brown. An experiment that failed miserably when the boy had left a peck on my cheek at the end of the night and never called my parent's house again. Not that I could blame him.
Even after Ron and I became a couple, he had never taken me out without pandering to paparazzi. They weren't dates because they weren't for us. It had never been about romance. Those outings had been about proving himself to be the best, the most desirable, the hero.
Ronald Weasley had ruined dates for me. He'd ruined everything- dates, romance, love…
Or so I had thought.
My stomach was doing flips with excitement as we walked down a dirt path surrounded by a winter's landscape of near barren trees and shrubs, Malfoy's hand in my left and Theo's hand in my right. It should have felt odd, childish even, to walk between two taller figures while holding hands. It didn't, not in the slightest. Maybe it's because I had the proof of their affection surrounding me, making my chest light and fluffy. Every inch of air around us was practically candy floss pink.
The abnormally blue sky had turned overcast and their hands were warm despite the chill in the air that signaled a snowy afternoon on the horizon. Typical bipolar English weather. I smiled to myself thinking about when we had exited the guest house. I had shivered before we even hit the gates and Theo had cast the warming spell. Malfoy's tailored coat had been hung on my shoulders despite all my protests. I secretly inhaled a deep breath of its scent with a turn of my head. It wasn't as inconspicuous as I had thought. Theo chuckled and my cheeks burned.
"Where are we going?" I asked, trying to hide from the attention. I had been promised a short walk and a lunch, but no other details had been provided.
"I wouldn't mind knowing that as well." Theo added. "You could have at least clued me in to where exactly we are taking her."
"Where I am taking both of you. Telling you would have spoiled all the fun," Malfoy replied.
"Fun?" Theo laughed, looking around me to give Malfoy a surprised look. "Well, your idea of fun has drastically changed. The last time we took this path into the muggle town you complained that it was so dull it was a wonder the muggles hadn't died of boredom."
So the path led into town- a town full of muggles. A shot of anxiety rippled down my neck at the thought of being around normal people. A very small part of me was nervous about how the two of them would act, but Malfoy actually looked excited. I had to remind myself that they weren't the same muggle hating Slytherins they had once been.
"That was a long time ago," Malfoy replied to Theo, oddly answering my own concern at the same time. When I smiled, he lifted my hand to kiss it and my worry disappeared with the touch of his lips. "Practically a lifetime ago."
A split in the path came and he guided us to turn right. There were sounds filtering into the air now- unclear chatter and the hum of an occasional car somewhere past the dense brush. An iron gate appeared after another turn. Malfoy dropped my hand to open it and when we were through he put his hands in his pockets. I felt my lips start to pout, but quickly put a stop to it. I wasn't one of those clingy, obsessive girls, at least I didn't think I was. I'd never been before anyway. I forced myself to drop Theo's hand to close the gate. It was a good excuse to prove I wasn't clingy, even though it made me twice as sad.
On the other side of the gate was a short alley and at the end of the alley was a pavement lined road filled with a multitude of colorful shoppes. The pavement itself was absolutely packed with muggles. They were all meandering around each other with shopping bags that signaled the busy retail season, cups of warm coffee or tea and lit cigarettes in hands. The puff of magic around us, now a fair mix of yellow and pink, weaved around the crowd with us, Malfoy in the lead with Theo and I trailing behind. He knew where we were going after all.
When we finally emerged from the chaos, we found ourselves standing outside of a café with a deep blue awning, and a spattering of white outdoor tables with heaters. On the side of the pavement a sign proudly proclaimed the best croissants in all of England with the name of the café sprawled at the top, 'Cloud Café'. Christmas decorations in blue and white spattered the doors and windows and chairs. The smell that drifted out from inside was something close to heavenly, all buttery and sweet lingering with coffee and tea. It was perfect, and every table was full. Shite. Lunch time rush.
Malfoy whispered something to the hostess and I watched him slip her two £20 notes. I rolled my eyes.
Okay, so some things never change.
Theo beat Malfoy to grab the door so we could stand inside and Malfoy gave him a playful glare before muttering a thank you. Watching the two men vie for attention made my already light heart feel like a balloon. I was drifting, floating on the feeling of being cared for. I was on a date, a real actual, heart-melting date.
We waited all of five minutes before the hostess Malfoy had bribed sat us at a blue cushioned wall seat with a table and regular seats opposite. I sat on the cushioned seat side while Theo and Malfoy sat on the other. After the waitress returned with our sandwiches, three croissants, and some tea, I caught Theo reaching into his coat to turn his wand as he whispered a spell to himself. I narrowed my eyes in confusion.
"A spell to distract the muggles. They won't notice us again, unless we draw their attention. It means I can do this." He stood and swapped sides, sitting on my right. Malfoy wasn't about to be one upped by him. He moved as well, taking up the space on my left.
I rolled my eyes. "Children."
Neither of them bothered to reply, digging into their food instead. With a sigh, I followed course and it was so good that I honestly didn't want to waste a bite more on conversation. Apparently, I wasn't the only one that thought so. We exchanged only idle hums of approval for the food until the plates were cleared.
"That really was the best croissant in England." I said, wiping my mouth with a cloth napkin. There had been chocolate in the pastry and I followed up the sweetness with a sip of my tea that had somehow gotten refilled despite the fact that the waitress hadn't returned. Theo shrugged when I gave him a side eye. His arm found its way around my shoulder, while Malfoy's hand clasped on my left hand
"How did you find this place, Draco?" Theo asked.
"I went here once while…well, while the manor was overrun by unwelcome guests. It wasn't exactly cheery then, but the croissants were still phenomenal."
It was hard to picture the old Malfoy sitting in the little muggle restaurant, eating a croissant, looking broken in a dark black suit. What had he risked by venturing into town? There was a brief trickle of green magic that escaped me at the thought. Both men looked at me, obviously concerned. I set my tea down, clearing my throat of the light sting of sadness.
"None of that," Theo said.
Malfoy let go of my hand, reaching up for my chin so he could turn my face to look at him. "This is a happy occasion. The croissants taste even better with good company."
Looking in his gray eyes brought back all my previously floaty feelings. He was so damn handsome, and thoughtful. I was sandwiched between two amazing men and wasting my chance to truly embrace it, to enjoy it without the risk of a judging audience. I leaned into kiss him, for a very much desired moment of public affection.
"Oh fuck," Theo's voice just barely grasped my attention right before a new voice boomed.
"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND?!" Every light feeling I had, every bit of joy and happiness that I had felt moments earlier evaporated. If I didn't know that voice, if I hadn't heard it a thousand times, I would have thought it was a dementor that had sucked all the light from my life.
I looked up to find red hair and a face that was almost the exact same color. He stood by Gabrielle LaRue, Harry, and Ginny.
Ronald Weasley had ruined every single one of my dates.