Unexpected Love
Summary: A fic that takes place after Hogwarts. Hermione left the magical world behind after a messy breakup with Krum and became a muggle teacher. Years later she discovers that one of her new students is a Malfoy. What will happen when Draco enters her life?
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters. The ones you don't recognize belong to me.
Chapter Ten- The Date
Hermione stormed angrily out of Ginny's house, slamming the door behind her and hurrying down the steps. Looking around, she wondered where she would go. She didn't have a clue where she was, and the house was surrounded on all four sides by trees, except for a small driveway which she guessed led out onto the road.
She heard the faint splashing sound of waves gently lapping the sand and decided to find out where it was coming from. She followed the sound through the trees, discovering a well worn path and came upon a beautiful lake. The sun glistened on the water, making the water look as though it were merely a million dazzling sapphires. The sand was a pale sandy colour, extremely fine and soft. Several fallen logs were scattered about the shore some were grouped together around a fire pit.
Stepping onto the sand, she felt as though she were walking onto a cloud. She slowly walked over to the water, passing lifejackets, beach toys, and other beach paraphernalia. Two small rowboats were tied to a dock about 25 feet away from the shore and, although they looked small, Hermione thought that they were probably bewitched to hold and entire family, such as the Potter's.
Hermione took off her shoes and dipped a foot timidly into the water. She was delighted to feel that it was pleasantly warm, despite fall being just around the corner. She stepped fully into the water and began to walk slowly around the perimeter of the lake.
Her thoughts drifted a bit and she found herself thinking about Seamus. It was true what Ginny had said; she wasn't attracted to him like she had been attracted to other men, such as Draco. Draco. Just thinking about him made her eyes sting, threatening tears. 'Don't cry, Hermione,' she told herself. 'You're not going to let him get to you! If he wants to be angry at you, it's his problem. You're not going to let him know that he made you cry.'
She had already made up her mind that she wouldn't go crawling back to Draco, begging for forgiveness. If they got into a fight the first day they met again, it definitely wouldn't work, and she didn't want to get hurt again. She wouldn't let herself get hurt again.
That's why she wanted to go out with Seamus. Even though she wasn't attracted to him as much more than a friend, things could happen, feelings could develop. And the main thing was that Seamus was a sweet, caring guy, who didn't have a temper and probably wouldn't get mad or yell easily, as it seemed Draco did. Seamus wouldn't hurt Hermione. He wouldn't leave her for another girl like Viktor did, and he wasn't married right now, like Draco.
Her mind made up about going out with Seamus, she noticed that it was slowly getting dark. The sun was getting ready to set and if she didn't hurry she would be out in the forest in the pitch black. She realized that she had better go back to Harry's and Ginny's house so as not to worry her friends about where she had gone.
She walked swiftly along the path as darkness and damp coldness settled around her, shivering slightly in the cool September air. She wrapped her arms around her and pressed on, until finally she saw the warm, yellow glow of the lights of the Potter house.
She hurried up the steps and opened the door. Walking into the family room, she saw Ginny sitting on the couch with Harry. They didn't seem to notice her standing there. She heard Harry say to Ginny, "It's okay Gin, she probably just went home."
"But we don't know where her home is! She was kind of mad when she left, what if she's decided that coming back was the wrong thing to do? What if she's gone for another eight years?! What will we do then?" Ginny said, slightly hysterical. She had just gotten one of her best friends back, and the thought of losing her again was hardly bearable.
Hermione shifted her feet and one of the floorboards that she was standing on creaked loudly. Harry and Ginny swung around quickly and at the sight of Hermione, Ginny leapt off the couch and ran over to her, throwing her arms around her and enveloping her in a tight hug.
"Oh Mione! I'm so sorry! Please don't ever do that to me again! I thought for sure that you were gone again! It scared me half to death!"
"It's okay Gin, I'm not going anywhere. I just got my best friends back, why would I leave you guys again? I love you all too much to do that," Hermione answered reassuringly. Looking over Ginny's shoulder, she saw Harry still sitting on the couch, beaming at her. She smiled back and then gently peeled Ginny off of her.
"Okay Ginny, I think that's enough excitement for a pregnant woman. You go on up and get ready for bed and I'll be up soon," Harry said.
"Okay hun," answered Ginny, and she walked over, pecked him gently on the lips and walked out of the room and up the stairs. When she was gone, Harry turned to Hermione seriously and said, "Mione, Ginny told me about your plans to go out with Seamus. Please don't do it. It's all wrong! Deep down in your heart, do you really want to go out with Seamus?"
"I don't have to answer that Harry. It's my decision, and I've made up my mind," she said stubbornly.
"Mione, please tell me that you'll just think about it some more before you do anything you'll regret," Harry begged.
"I've thought about it a lot, trust me," Hermione answered. "And I was wondering if I could borrow an owl. I just need to send a letter and then I'll be going back home."
Harry sighed. He knew how stubborn Hermione could be sometimes, and this was one of those times. He had no hope of changing her mind once she made it up so he just said, "Yes, you can borrow Hedwig. I'd give you her daughter but Ginny sent her out earlier with a letter to Mrs. Weasley."
"Hedwig's fine," Hermione said, and Harry walked over to the window and called, "Hedwig!" Turning around he explained to Hermione, "She likes to stay in the trees when she's not out delivering a letter." A few seconds later Hedwig flew in the window, landing on the back of a plush red chair.
"There's paper and a quill on the table there," Harry said to Hermione. "Just let me know when you're finished." He turned and walked into the kitchen. Hermione walked over to the table and sat down, taking a piece of parchment. Picking up a quill, she began her letter:
Dear Seamus,
Seeing you this afternoon was absolutely wonderful. I enjoyed talking
to you. You are a very sweet, kind, thoughtful, and caring man. I have been
doing a lot of thinking lately and I have a question to ask you. Would you like to
go out for dinner perhaps tomorrow evening? Please send your answer back with
Hedwig as soon as possible.
~Hermione
She finished writing her name and reread it. Satisfied, she tied the letter to Hedwig's leg and sent her off into the pitch black of night.
Yawning, she walked into the kitchen. It was a cheery space, with the walls painted a bright apple green. The cabinets and accessories were all pure white which made the area even brighter. Harry was sitting at the beautiful table which consisted of a curving, white base and a crystal clear sheet of glass as the table top. Two candles sat hovering slightly above the table and Harry was reading the paper. He looked up when Hermione entered and smiled.
"Did you send your letter?" he asked her, and Hermione replied, "Yes. But I really should be getting home now, I'm quite tired. I'll send Hedwig back as soon as I can."
"Oh but you should just stay here tonight! You can stay in the guest room; it's very beautiful and extremely comfortable. You're very welcome to stay, and I insist that you do," Harry told her.
"No really, Harry, I must be getting home. Thank you for the offer, but I'd just like to get back to my own apartment," Hermione replied.
"Are you sure?" Harry asked, and Hermione answered, "Yes. Owl me sometime and we can get together. Eight years is far too long to be apart from all of you guys."
"Alright," said Harry. "Goodnight Mione."
"Goodnight Harry," she said, and with a small crack she Disapparated from the Potter's house and appeared back in her bedroom. She took off her shoes and sat down on the bed, exhausted. Without even getting changed, she lay down and was asleep before her head hit the pillow.
Tap tap tap. Tap tap tap. Hermione sat up quickly, looking around. She saw that the clock read 12:07pm. She had slept the morning away! With a yawn, she looked to the window, which was the source of the tapping. She saw an owl hovering there and remembered yesterday morning, when she had been awakened by Draco's owl. Still slightly asleep, she thought that maybe it was Draco's owl again. But opening the window, she realized it was Hedwig, with Seamus' answer. Untying the parchment from her leg and unrolling it she read:
Dear Hermione,
Thank you for your letter, I was excited to be hearing from you. I, too, enjoyed seeing you again, and I, too, enjoyed talking to you. I would be overjoyed to go with you out to dinner tonight. How about I meet you in front of The Simmering Cauldrons restaurant at 6:30pm tonight? Let me know if that is good for you, and if it is I will see you this evening.
~Seamus
Hermione quickly scribbled 'That sounds fine' on the back of the piece of parchment and sent Hedwig back out. 6:30pm. That gave her a little more than 6 hours. Looking down at her rumpled skirt and wrinkled shirt she decided she badly needed to get changed. As she walked to the dresser to grab some clothes, she passed the mirror and glanced at her appearance. She had to do a double-take. Her hair was sticking out at odd angles and smushed in certain spots, and yesterday's makeup was smeared all over her face.
Deciding a shower was extremely needed she quickly grabbed her sweatpants and an old tank top and went quickly into the bathroom. She spent a long time in the shower just standing under the water letting it pour down her body. When she was thoroughly wrinkled like a prune from being in the water too long, she stepped out and threw on her clothes.
As she walked out of the bathroom, her stomach rumbled loudly and she realized that she had barely eaten anything in the last couple of days. She walked into the kitchen and made herself a huge lunch which she hungrily devoured very quickly.
She spent much of the rest of the afternoon cleaning the apartment and didn't sit down until it was nearly 5:30pm. Draping herself tiredly onto the couch she rested for a long while until she realized she had better start getting ready.
She walked into her room and opened her closet. The Simmering Cauldrons was a fancy place, and that meant that she needed to wear a fancy dress. After much consideration and trying to decide between two dresses, she finally chose one. It was a long, red dress. The front was plain straight across but the back plunged down about three quarters of her back. The straps were like string and went from the front and crisscrossed in the back. The dress flowed like water to the floor, hugging each curve perfectly as it fell. She loved how the dress moved when she turned, swishing gently across her body.
She did her hair next. She defined the long, flowing ringlets, and pinned some away from her face with beautiful red and gold butterfly hair combs that her mother had given her when she graduated. She immediately loved the way they sparkled in the light when she moved.
She did her makeup last. It was simple but sultry. She rimmed her eyes with black eyeliner and smudged it slightly to bring out her honey eyes. She dusted a thin layer of shimmery gold on her eyelid which went well with the dark tan of her skin that she had gotten over the summer. She applied a dark pink blush to the apples of her cheeks and a pinkish reddish lip gloss to keep her lips simple. To finish she put on long gold earring and a simple gold necklace. Satisfied, she looked at the clock and realized that it was nearly 6:30pm. Walking into her room, she slipped her feet into a pair of elegant gold sandals.
She looked around to see if she had forgotten anything, grabbed her little gold purse and Disapparated with a small crack, appearing seconds later in front of a small, elegant restaurant with a sign above the door that read The Simmering Cauldrons. She had never been here before but had heard about it while she was in Hogwarts. From reading the Daily Prophet she had discovered that it was a fine restaurant in the back of Hogsmeade that had earned five stars and an excellent reputation. She stared up in awe at the magnificent building. Suddenly she heard a yell behind her.
"Hermione!" Spinning around to find the source of the voice, she turned and saw Seamus, staring at her with his jaw hanging open. He quickly closed his mouth and smiled broadly at Hermione. He was wearing a black suit and his sandy blonde hair was gelled into the latest fashion of guys' hairstyles. Hermione had to admit, he did look handsome, but she just didn't feel the familiar flip-flop in her stomach when he smiled as she did when Draco smiled.
'Stop thinking of Draco!' Hermione scolded herself. 'You're here with Seamus, a very sweet man, and you're going to enjoy your evening and not think of Draco.'
"Shall we go in then?" Hermione asked Seamus, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. He smiled at her and offered her his arm. Taking it, they walked into the restaurant. They were shown to a tiny table next to a window. On the table were a dainty white tablecloth and a vase of roses with two white candles burning on either side. Seamus held out her chair and Hermione sat down with Seamus sitting across from her.
"So Hermione," Seamus began, "You've been teaching at a muggle school. How do you like that?"
"Oh it's wonderful," replied Hermione. "I just love kids. I was hoping maybe a teaching position would come available at Hogwarts. I would absolutely love to work there."
They spent the next couple of hours talking about their days at Hogwarts and eating their delicious dinners— chicken and a Caesar salad for Hermione and roast lamb with vegetables for Seamus.
After they had polished off their meals, Seamus said, "Shall we go for a walk then?" and Hermione replied, "That sounds like a marvelous idea." They left the restaurant and walked out into the crisp, cool evening. Hermione was having a nice time, but she still didn't feel anything towards Seamus. 'Oh well, it's only been one date,' she thought. 'He is truly a gentleman; I'll give him a chance.' With that, she took his arm and they walked under the moonlight.
"How about we sit outside the Three Broomsticks for awhile? It's such a nice night, I would hate to go home, and they have those wonderful benches to sit on," Seamus suggested. Hermione nodded so together they started towards the Three Broomsticks. Suddenly, Hermione got a wonderful idea.
"How about you go along and get us a seat and I'll run to the sweet shop quick and get us some dessert?" she said.
"Oh that sounds wonderful," Seamus replied. "But are you sure you don't want me to go with you?"
"No no, you go along and get us a seat. I'll be fine. I'll just be a few minutes." With that she turned and walked swiftly towards the sweet shop. She turned a corner quickly and crashed right into another person. The two of them fell to the ground in a tangled heap.
"Oh, I'm so sorry ma'am," said a male voice. Hermione froze from her position trying to get up. She knew that voice. Hesitantly, she looked up into two warm, steely grey eyes. The eyes of Draco Malfoy.
***** *** *****
AN- Yay, I finally got this chapter up! Sorry it's taken so long, but my comp was getting fixed, then when I got it back ff.net was down so I couldn't post anything. But I'm gonna try to get the next chapters up quickly. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please read and review! Thanks!
~*~FieryPhoenix~*~
Summary: A fic that takes place after Hogwarts. Hermione left the magical world behind after a messy breakup with Krum and became a muggle teacher. Years later she discovers that one of her new students is a Malfoy. What will happen when Draco enters her life?
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters. The ones you don't recognize belong to me.
Chapter Ten- The Date
Hermione stormed angrily out of Ginny's house, slamming the door behind her and hurrying down the steps. Looking around, she wondered where she would go. She didn't have a clue where she was, and the house was surrounded on all four sides by trees, except for a small driveway which she guessed led out onto the road.
She heard the faint splashing sound of waves gently lapping the sand and decided to find out where it was coming from. She followed the sound through the trees, discovering a well worn path and came upon a beautiful lake. The sun glistened on the water, making the water look as though it were merely a million dazzling sapphires. The sand was a pale sandy colour, extremely fine and soft. Several fallen logs were scattered about the shore some were grouped together around a fire pit.
Stepping onto the sand, she felt as though she were walking onto a cloud. She slowly walked over to the water, passing lifejackets, beach toys, and other beach paraphernalia. Two small rowboats were tied to a dock about 25 feet away from the shore and, although they looked small, Hermione thought that they were probably bewitched to hold and entire family, such as the Potter's.
Hermione took off her shoes and dipped a foot timidly into the water. She was delighted to feel that it was pleasantly warm, despite fall being just around the corner. She stepped fully into the water and began to walk slowly around the perimeter of the lake.
Her thoughts drifted a bit and she found herself thinking about Seamus. It was true what Ginny had said; she wasn't attracted to him like she had been attracted to other men, such as Draco. Draco. Just thinking about him made her eyes sting, threatening tears. 'Don't cry, Hermione,' she told herself. 'You're not going to let him get to you! If he wants to be angry at you, it's his problem. You're not going to let him know that he made you cry.'
She had already made up her mind that she wouldn't go crawling back to Draco, begging for forgiveness. If they got into a fight the first day they met again, it definitely wouldn't work, and she didn't want to get hurt again. She wouldn't let herself get hurt again.
That's why she wanted to go out with Seamus. Even though she wasn't attracted to him as much more than a friend, things could happen, feelings could develop. And the main thing was that Seamus was a sweet, caring guy, who didn't have a temper and probably wouldn't get mad or yell easily, as it seemed Draco did. Seamus wouldn't hurt Hermione. He wouldn't leave her for another girl like Viktor did, and he wasn't married right now, like Draco.
Her mind made up about going out with Seamus, she noticed that it was slowly getting dark. The sun was getting ready to set and if she didn't hurry she would be out in the forest in the pitch black. She realized that she had better go back to Harry's and Ginny's house so as not to worry her friends about where she had gone.
She walked swiftly along the path as darkness and damp coldness settled around her, shivering slightly in the cool September air. She wrapped her arms around her and pressed on, until finally she saw the warm, yellow glow of the lights of the Potter house.
She hurried up the steps and opened the door. Walking into the family room, she saw Ginny sitting on the couch with Harry. They didn't seem to notice her standing there. She heard Harry say to Ginny, "It's okay Gin, she probably just went home."
"But we don't know where her home is! She was kind of mad when she left, what if she's decided that coming back was the wrong thing to do? What if she's gone for another eight years?! What will we do then?" Ginny said, slightly hysterical. She had just gotten one of her best friends back, and the thought of losing her again was hardly bearable.
Hermione shifted her feet and one of the floorboards that she was standing on creaked loudly. Harry and Ginny swung around quickly and at the sight of Hermione, Ginny leapt off the couch and ran over to her, throwing her arms around her and enveloping her in a tight hug.
"Oh Mione! I'm so sorry! Please don't ever do that to me again! I thought for sure that you were gone again! It scared me half to death!"
"It's okay Gin, I'm not going anywhere. I just got my best friends back, why would I leave you guys again? I love you all too much to do that," Hermione answered reassuringly. Looking over Ginny's shoulder, she saw Harry still sitting on the couch, beaming at her. She smiled back and then gently peeled Ginny off of her.
"Okay Ginny, I think that's enough excitement for a pregnant woman. You go on up and get ready for bed and I'll be up soon," Harry said.
"Okay hun," answered Ginny, and she walked over, pecked him gently on the lips and walked out of the room and up the stairs. When she was gone, Harry turned to Hermione seriously and said, "Mione, Ginny told me about your plans to go out with Seamus. Please don't do it. It's all wrong! Deep down in your heart, do you really want to go out with Seamus?"
"I don't have to answer that Harry. It's my decision, and I've made up my mind," she said stubbornly.
"Mione, please tell me that you'll just think about it some more before you do anything you'll regret," Harry begged.
"I've thought about it a lot, trust me," Hermione answered. "And I was wondering if I could borrow an owl. I just need to send a letter and then I'll be going back home."
Harry sighed. He knew how stubborn Hermione could be sometimes, and this was one of those times. He had no hope of changing her mind once she made it up so he just said, "Yes, you can borrow Hedwig. I'd give you her daughter but Ginny sent her out earlier with a letter to Mrs. Weasley."
"Hedwig's fine," Hermione said, and Harry walked over to the window and called, "Hedwig!" Turning around he explained to Hermione, "She likes to stay in the trees when she's not out delivering a letter." A few seconds later Hedwig flew in the window, landing on the back of a plush red chair.
"There's paper and a quill on the table there," Harry said to Hermione. "Just let me know when you're finished." He turned and walked into the kitchen. Hermione walked over to the table and sat down, taking a piece of parchment. Picking up a quill, she began her letter:
Dear Seamus,
Seeing you this afternoon was absolutely wonderful. I enjoyed talking
to you. You are a very sweet, kind, thoughtful, and caring man. I have been
doing a lot of thinking lately and I have a question to ask you. Would you like to
go out for dinner perhaps tomorrow evening? Please send your answer back with
Hedwig as soon as possible.
~Hermione
She finished writing her name and reread it. Satisfied, she tied the letter to Hedwig's leg and sent her off into the pitch black of night.
Yawning, she walked into the kitchen. It was a cheery space, with the walls painted a bright apple green. The cabinets and accessories were all pure white which made the area even brighter. Harry was sitting at the beautiful table which consisted of a curving, white base and a crystal clear sheet of glass as the table top. Two candles sat hovering slightly above the table and Harry was reading the paper. He looked up when Hermione entered and smiled.
"Did you send your letter?" he asked her, and Hermione replied, "Yes. But I really should be getting home now, I'm quite tired. I'll send Hedwig back as soon as I can."
"Oh but you should just stay here tonight! You can stay in the guest room; it's very beautiful and extremely comfortable. You're very welcome to stay, and I insist that you do," Harry told her.
"No really, Harry, I must be getting home. Thank you for the offer, but I'd just like to get back to my own apartment," Hermione replied.
"Are you sure?" Harry asked, and Hermione answered, "Yes. Owl me sometime and we can get together. Eight years is far too long to be apart from all of you guys."
"Alright," said Harry. "Goodnight Mione."
"Goodnight Harry," she said, and with a small crack she Disapparated from the Potter's house and appeared back in her bedroom. She took off her shoes and sat down on the bed, exhausted. Without even getting changed, she lay down and was asleep before her head hit the pillow.
Tap tap tap. Tap tap tap. Hermione sat up quickly, looking around. She saw that the clock read 12:07pm. She had slept the morning away! With a yawn, she looked to the window, which was the source of the tapping. She saw an owl hovering there and remembered yesterday morning, when she had been awakened by Draco's owl. Still slightly asleep, she thought that maybe it was Draco's owl again. But opening the window, she realized it was Hedwig, with Seamus' answer. Untying the parchment from her leg and unrolling it she read:
Dear Hermione,
Thank you for your letter, I was excited to be hearing from you. I, too, enjoyed seeing you again, and I, too, enjoyed talking to you. I would be overjoyed to go with you out to dinner tonight. How about I meet you in front of The Simmering Cauldrons restaurant at 6:30pm tonight? Let me know if that is good for you, and if it is I will see you this evening.
~Seamus
Hermione quickly scribbled 'That sounds fine' on the back of the piece of parchment and sent Hedwig back out. 6:30pm. That gave her a little more than 6 hours. Looking down at her rumpled skirt and wrinkled shirt she decided she badly needed to get changed. As she walked to the dresser to grab some clothes, she passed the mirror and glanced at her appearance. She had to do a double-take. Her hair was sticking out at odd angles and smushed in certain spots, and yesterday's makeup was smeared all over her face.
Deciding a shower was extremely needed she quickly grabbed her sweatpants and an old tank top and went quickly into the bathroom. She spent a long time in the shower just standing under the water letting it pour down her body. When she was thoroughly wrinkled like a prune from being in the water too long, she stepped out and threw on her clothes.
As she walked out of the bathroom, her stomach rumbled loudly and she realized that she had barely eaten anything in the last couple of days. She walked into the kitchen and made herself a huge lunch which she hungrily devoured very quickly.
She spent much of the rest of the afternoon cleaning the apartment and didn't sit down until it was nearly 5:30pm. Draping herself tiredly onto the couch she rested for a long while until she realized she had better start getting ready.
She walked into her room and opened her closet. The Simmering Cauldrons was a fancy place, and that meant that she needed to wear a fancy dress. After much consideration and trying to decide between two dresses, she finally chose one. It was a long, red dress. The front was plain straight across but the back plunged down about three quarters of her back. The straps were like string and went from the front and crisscrossed in the back. The dress flowed like water to the floor, hugging each curve perfectly as it fell. She loved how the dress moved when she turned, swishing gently across her body.
She did her hair next. She defined the long, flowing ringlets, and pinned some away from her face with beautiful red and gold butterfly hair combs that her mother had given her when she graduated. She immediately loved the way they sparkled in the light when she moved.
She did her makeup last. It was simple but sultry. She rimmed her eyes with black eyeliner and smudged it slightly to bring out her honey eyes. She dusted a thin layer of shimmery gold on her eyelid which went well with the dark tan of her skin that she had gotten over the summer. She applied a dark pink blush to the apples of her cheeks and a pinkish reddish lip gloss to keep her lips simple. To finish she put on long gold earring and a simple gold necklace. Satisfied, she looked at the clock and realized that it was nearly 6:30pm. Walking into her room, she slipped her feet into a pair of elegant gold sandals.
She looked around to see if she had forgotten anything, grabbed her little gold purse and Disapparated with a small crack, appearing seconds later in front of a small, elegant restaurant with a sign above the door that read The Simmering Cauldrons. She had never been here before but had heard about it while she was in Hogwarts. From reading the Daily Prophet she had discovered that it was a fine restaurant in the back of Hogsmeade that had earned five stars and an excellent reputation. She stared up in awe at the magnificent building. Suddenly she heard a yell behind her.
"Hermione!" Spinning around to find the source of the voice, she turned and saw Seamus, staring at her with his jaw hanging open. He quickly closed his mouth and smiled broadly at Hermione. He was wearing a black suit and his sandy blonde hair was gelled into the latest fashion of guys' hairstyles. Hermione had to admit, he did look handsome, but she just didn't feel the familiar flip-flop in her stomach when he smiled as she did when Draco smiled.
'Stop thinking of Draco!' Hermione scolded herself. 'You're here with Seamus, a very sweet man, and you're going to enjoy your evening and not think of Draco.'
"Shall we go in then?" Hermione asked Seamus, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. He smiled at her and offered her his arm. Taking it, they walked into the restaurant. They were shown to a tiny table next to a window. On the table were a dainty white tablecloth and a vase of roses with two white candles burning on either side. Seamus held out her chair and Hermione sat down with Seamus sitting across from her.
"So Hermione," Seamus began, "You've been teaching at a muggle school. How do you like that?"
"Oh it's wonderful," replied Hermione. "I just love kids. I was hoping maybe a teaching position would come available at Hogwarts. I would absolutely love to work there."
They spent the next couple of hours talking about their days at Hogwarts and eating their delicious dinners— chicken and a Caesar salad for Hermione and roast lamb with vegetables for Seamus.
After they had polished off their meals, Seamus said, "Shall we go for a walk then?" and Hermione replied, "That sounds like a marvelous idea." They left the restaurant and walked out into the crisp, cool evening. Hermione was having a nice time, but she still didn't feel anything towards Seamus. 'Oh well, it's only been one date,' she thought. 'He is truly a gentleman; I'll give him a chance.' With that, she took his arm and they walked under the moonlight.
"How about we sit outside the Three Broomsticks for awhile? It's such a nice night, I would hate to go home, and they have those wonderful benches to sit on," Seamus suggested. Hermione nodded so together they started towards the Three Broomsticks. Suddenly, Hermione got a wonderful idea.
"How about you go along and get us a seat and I'll run to the sweet shop quick and get us some dessert?" she said.
"Oh that sounds wonderful," Seamus replied. "But are you sure you don't want me to go with you?"
"No no, you go along and get us a seat. I'll be fine. I'll just be a few minutes." With that she turned and walked swiftly towards the sweet shop. She turned a corner quickly and crashed right into another person. The two of them fell to the ground in a tangled heap.
"Oh, I'm so sorry ma'am," said a male voice. Hermione froze from her position trying to get up. She knew that voice. Hesitantly, she looked up into two warm, steely grey eyes. The eyes of Draco Malfoy.
***** *** *****
AN- Yay, I finally got this chapter up! Sorry it's taken so long, but my comp was getting fixed, then when I got it back ff.net was down so I couldn't post anything. But I'm gonna try to get the next chapters up quickly. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please read and review! Thanks!
~*~FieryPhoenix~*~