The Promise
The following week was miserable for Hermione. Draco's coldness towards her was obvious enough that her co-workers had noticed and questioned her about it. Not wanting to admit the terms of her immature bet, she plead ignorance, while internally ruing the day she had allowed Ginny into her office.
The worst bit about it all was that this separation from Malfoy was making her realize how much she really did appreciate him. She had been denying her feelings about him for so long, that she wasn't really properly prepared to face the new feelings which overwhelmed her. It had only been less than a week since he had found out about the bet and directed his anger towards her, but Hermione ached from the loss of him in her life. The truth was, that while he could be an arrogant, childish, spoilt sod, he was also cultured, intelligent, determined, and amusing. She didn't miss his taunts or cutting remarks, but they were, however, at least proof that she was something to him. This isolation from him, his total lack of awareness of her in his life left her wishing that he would throw some horrible remark at her. At least then she would know that he knew she existed.
It was a sick, slightly masochistic need, but Hermione really did ache for it. She was still not ready to admit how much she wanted him in her life, but she did know that for as much as she had complained about him, Ginny was right. She did enjoy him, and she had been enjoying him for many years. She still couldn't comprehend how she could have grown so attached to him while receiving his disdain, but she had.
She was now seated across from him at the café where she and her friends met every Thursday evening. Draco had become and regular at the gathering of Ron, Harry, Ginny and she after he had happened upon them there one night several years ago. She glanced at him surreptitiously over the menu which she didn't really need to look at, having been there enough to know everything on it. She flushed as he caught her gaze, his grey eyes blank, and he turned his face away from her. That was the first time she had caught him looking at her since she had left Ron's apartment the past Saturday. The dress he had given her that evening was still in the box, tucked in the back of her wardrobe. She felt too proud, and yet, at the same time ashamed, to take it out of its box and hang it properly, and didn't want to risk injuring his pride further by returning it to him. The whole thing was a bloody mess, and not for the first time that week Hermione wished she could get a hold of the time-turner she had possessed back in her third year.
"Hermione," Harry's voice broke out over the din of the dining room. "I ran into Blaise when I met with Dumbledore this afternoon. He asked about you, again. I swear, the man is mad for you."
Hermione lifted her head from the menu and rolled her eyes at Harry. "Blaise? Mad for me? You've been saying this for years, but I have yet to see proof. My impression has always been that he's ambivalent towards me, at the very least. The only times he had even acknowledged me to my face was back at Hogwarts, when he'd throw me the occasional sneer during potions and Ancient Runes." She laughed a little and continued. "Oh, well, I don't really want to waste the energy on figuring out his feelings towards me. If he likes me, he should be like normal people, and treat me a little better."
She caught Ginny's loaded gaze as she finished this statement, and instantly wished should could take it back. She was really just expressing her feelings, but in retrospect it sounded like she was dropping hints for Malfoy. She looked down determinedly at the menu once again, not wanting to risk looking at his face.
"Perhaps he couldn't act like a normal person towards you, Hermione," Ginny cut in. "I mean, as you said, the only times he acknowledged you at Hogwarts was to make fun of you. But he could have been forced into that role. I mean he was a Slytherin, and you were Hermione Granger. For someone like him to have to admit to a changing of feelings, of real social and political attitudes would have been incredibly hard. So he was cruel to you to protect you and himself, it would have been dangerous to express anything aside from animosity towards you. You can't fault him that, it was hurtful, but for the greater good of you both. And even now he finds it hard to break past the barriers of your interactions as youths to express how he really feels about you," she finished.
There was a wave of reactions across the table at this little speech. Draco coughed and looked startled. Ron looked at her, thunderstruck, as though unable to comprehend that it was his sister who had just issued that piece of succinct thought. It was understandable, while Ginny had matured over the years into an intelligent and take-charge woman, her advice and input didn't usually carry that much compassionate and serious thought. Her advice to Hermione over the years may have been similar to what she just said, but when she leant an ear to Ron, as Hermione well knew, her advice was more "Buck up", and "Oh, get it together, Ronnikins". Harry smiled at her indulgently, apparently knowing nothing of the current issues between Hermione and Draco aside from the hurt feelings caused by the bet, and couldn't read into Ginny's words enough to glean anything from it but support to his "Hermione and Blaise hook-up" cause.
Hermione, on the other hand, groaned loudly. "Well, Ginny," she said, setting her menu down with a snap. "Like I said before, perhaps I need someone with a bit more maturity in sorting out his feelings for me. If I've been going through all the bloody trouble of trying to sort out how I feel for him, then shouldn't he at least have the decency to get past the way he treats me, and his stupid pride, to quit jerking me around. And I don't even think that felt anything for me in school, let alone at the present, so there's really no point turning into bloody Kant about it!"
Harry, whose expression had lifted once more into a wide and triumphant smile, closed him mouth and frowned in confusion. "Kant?" he asked.
Hermione shrugged her shoulder and waved her hand a little. "Kant…philosopher, discusses morals. Something done that alone would perceived as immoral and bad, if done for the great good makes it moral. Anyway, that's aside the point," she finished, annoyed at even Harry's oblivious nature towards the Muggle world.
"Oh, yes. The point is, that I knew you had to feel something for Blaise!" Harry cried triumphantly.
"What?" Hermione asked, aghast. "Where on earth did you get that idea from, Harry Potter?"
Ginny stifled a laugh behind her palm, and leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Hermione, did even listen to what you just said. You were blabbering on about him and it came off as being about Blaise!"
Hermione's eyes widened as she thought back to what she had just said. She had been annoyed with Ginny, and not paid attention to what she was saying, just becoming lost in her defensiveness and passions. She was distracted when Harry asked about Kant, enough to not have time to reflect on her comments. Her face burned, this was just what she needed. In the middle of trying to stay under the radar with Draco, and to hopefully worm her way back into his "good" graces (or wherever the hell she had been before this bet), on her first outing with him since Ron's dinner, she managed to make it look like she was harboring some longtime flame for his friend and former school mate.
"Oh, no, that's not how I meant it. Honestly!" she cried desperately. She looked around the table wildly, ignoring Harry's smile and Ginny's amused eyes, before catching sight of Draco. He was looking at her with a thoughtful gaze, one which she couldn't read, but wasn't as closed off as he had been with her lately. He saw that she was looking at her, and raised an eyebrow. She frowned and sighed, not knowing how, exactly she could get out of this one.
'Stupid Blaise, stupid Malfoy, and stupid, stupid, soddering Harry Potter!' she thought.
"Hermione, it's alright, really, No one is going to be upset with you, really, for dating Blaise. We're all past Hogwarts rivalries, hell we have Draco here right now!" Harry proclaimed, smiling at the aforementioned man, before winking at Hermione. "And, I know how awkward you can get before you're comfortable with someone, so I've already taken the first step for you."
Hermione's stomach felt like it had been filled with concrete when she heard Harry. She had an idea what he was alluding to, and it was making her very, very unhappy.
"Harry, you didn't tell him I would go out with him, did you?" she had spoke, half moaned. At Harry's answering broad smile, Hermione felt the urge to smack him.
"Harry, you are daft. I don't want to date Blaise. I won't go," she said, frowning like a petulant child.
Harry returned her frown with one of his own. "But you have to, I already said you would."
Hermione turned to Ginny, eyes pleading for help.
"Hermione, why don't we talk about this later?" Ginny said in a soothing tone. "It might be nice for you to get out. It's been a long time since you've dated someone, you know?"
Hermione was taken aback. Since when did Ginny, who had lately been championing Hermione's feelings for Draco advise her to date someone else? She wanted to scream her frustration, but luckily her mind was taken off the current dilemma with the ordering of meals. Soon after they had ordered, Ginny announced she was going to the lavatory, and grabbed Hermione with a none too gentle grasp and took her with her.
"Hermione," Ginny started with an excited whisper as soon as they entered the one person toilet. "I know you're confused, but think about it. We both know how jealous Draco can get, right? So I think this is the perfect idea. Go out with Blaise, have a good time, and Draco will go mad with jealousy!" Ginny beamed up at Hermione expectantly.
"Ginny!" Hermione admonished. "That is a horrible plan! For one, it's relying on Draco having any feelings for me, which we don't know if he does, and if he doesn't then it's completely pointless. But most of all, it's cruel. Manipulating Blaise like that! What if he really does care about me? It's wrong to use him just to make Malfoy jealous, and I can't be a part of it!"
"Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed, her tone and volume startling her. "It will work. And Harry isn't going to let up on the idea if you don't date him, at least once, so you might as well do it anyway. Just one date, I promise it'll work out."
Hermione snorted. "Promise, Gin? I think we both know how your last promise to me went. I'm outcast from Malfoy's life, and I'm not even getting a real break from him." She cast one hand through her hair wearily, and sat down on the moderately clean looking toilet seat.
"I still see him everyday at work, but he ignores me. It's like being a ghost, I can see him, but he doesn't see me." At Ginny's confused look, she half smiled and said, "Well a ghost in the Muggle world at least."
"He'll notice you now, I know he will. He'll be very jealous, you remember how he was with Lucas!" Ginny said, excited that Hermione was flat out refusing her, at least, anymore.
"How he was with Luke? They just didn't get on very well. That's not that amazing," Hermione said confusedly.
"Oh Draco was positively dripping with hatred for him. He was so jealous, everyone knew!" she answered.
Hermione rolled her eyes for what felt like the millionth time that evening. She was now convinced that Ginny was insane, and really needed to be on Muggle soap operas. Or at least better friends with Lavender and Pavarti.
"Fine, fine, I'll go on a date with Blaise. Only to satisfy your apparent need to live vicariously through your single friends, all the while making everything a mess!" Hermione reluctantly agreed.
"I'll ignore that comment just because you finally said yes. You won't regret it Hermione!" Ginny trilled, leaving the bathroom to head back to the table. Hermione remained seated on the toilet, already regretting the decision.
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Thank you to all the reviewers! It's nice to get such positive feedback on this story that I love and loathe. For those who read my AN on the one-shot I wrote, "When You Assume", I was actually referring not to the chapter before this one, but this chapter here. I said in the first chapter that this was originally a long, not very well developed one-shot, and I've been reworking it. It's taken longer than I had thought, what with school and work and all that fun stuff. But I managed to break through the writer's block, and I've got the last two chapters planned out and in their skeleton form with the old story.
There'll be one more chapter, and an epilogue. The next chapter should make it up within a week, and it'll be rather long. I know this chapter is sort of short, and not much happens, but it's necessary for the plot.
Thanks for reading and please review!