CHAPTER THREE

Hermione was moping. She stared sullenly at her cup of herbal tea, and every now and then stirred it with a spoon.

"Stop moping," Ginny ordered. Ginny Weasley was tall and slender and had the attitude of an Amazon Queen, which some men found sexually exciting and others found absolutely terrifying. Ginny didn't care. That's what made her even more attractive. "I don't even know what you're moping about. One of the hottest musicians of our age has asked you out to dinner and an interview with him could give you your dream job. Why are you so upset?"

"It's Draco Malfoy," Hermione pointed out.

Ginny paused. "Oh yeah."

"Exactly," Hermione said. "And why do I have tea? Where's my alcohol?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I'll get the salt and the tequila."

While Ginny busied herself with margaritas, she asked, "Oh, hey… where are you going?"

"I have no idea," Hermione said, sighing. "He's supposed to call me, which is stupid because that just makes me somewhat pathetic in the inner structure of relationship building."

"You read too many of your magazine articles," Ginny scoffed.

"Do not," Hermione muttered.

"Hey, here's an idea," Ginny said, perking up. "Call Professor Snape."

"What?"

"No, seriously, I love phoning him. It's like talking to Death's secretary."

Hermione stared. "I'll have to pass on that. How'd you get his number, anyway?"

"I know everyone's number," Ginny said, primly. "I could call Albus Dumbledore up right now and we could have tea."

"Disturbing," Hermione said. "Anyway. What am I going to wear?"

Augh, the dreaded clothing question. Hermione hated to say it. It made her sound like a squealing fifteen-year-old who just got asked out by the cutie who worked at the hotdog stand.

Ginny looked thoughtful. "I guess you can't decide until you know where he's taking you. Here, I have an idea - let's go out to dinner instead, just you and me. Girl's night out."

"I have work tomorrow."

"No you don't, tell them you're doing field research for your Draco Malfoy article."

"Ginny," Hermione protested.

"No," Ginny said, wagging her finger in front of Hermione's nose. "Go put on something eye-catching. I'll call the twins and Lavender and we can go dancing."

Hermione had no choice but to obey.

xxx

While Hermione had declined an offer to phone her old teacher, it was the first thing Draco did when he got back to his beach house.

Severus Snape had actually quit his job two years ago in a fit of what some may have referred to as a mental breakdown. But in reality, Severus, finally driven to his wits, left Hogwarts behind and dove into muggle society and was now working as a messenger between rival gangs, the mafia, and the black market. Since he found this job a hell of a lot easier than his old job as a professor, Severus was far more laid back these days.

But he was also a wealth of information, being an adult and therefore relatively logical. Draco found it incredibly comforting to be called an idiot by a man who was actually more clever than he was, and not just jealous of Draco's wealth.

"You're an idiot," Severus was saying into his cell phone. He was currently disabling a bomb in someone's basement. He had five minutes left - plenty of time.

"Yes, I know," Draco said. "So, after I take Granger out and after several unsavoury things happen-"

"That was a bad mental picture."

"-Then would you care to let it slip to my father?"

"Draco, it's really not in my best interest to piss off your father-"

"I'll pay you five hundred dollars."

"But then again, you're offering me five hundred dollars, and I'm not above petty bribery. When are you taking her out, anyway?" Carefully, skilfully, Severus snipped apart a pair of wires and reconnected them, keeping the cell phone pinned securely to his ear using his shoulder.

"Day after tomorrow."

"Where are you taking her?"

"I was thinking maybe that seafood place on the corner of 82nd ave."

"No," Severus said immediately, disconnecting a few cables as he said it. "Classy girl like Granger - I understand she's working for a magazine company now, yes? - she'll want something elegant, like The Red Fan on 97th."

"Hmm, yes," Draco said, thoughtfully. Then he added, "Oh, wait. I'm not bothering you or interrupting anything, am I? Because I'll call back, sir."

"Oh, you're not interrupting anything, Draco," Severus said mildly.