Courting Miss Granger-Chapter 7- Girls' Night

By Marmalade Fever

Monday meant a return to work for Hermione. She woke at seven, ate, washed the gel from her hair, and left before Malfoy could arrive to see if she was wearing blue pajamas or not. It didn't take him very long to figure out where she'd gone. At one o'clock, he arrived in Flourish and Blotts just as she'd finished stocking a shipment of Magical Me.

"That bloke sure is full of himself, eh?" Malfoy asked, as Hermione jumped and knocked over a display of joke books.

"Who? Lockhart?" Hermione asked, tracking down a particularly dull-witted joke book that kept guffawing at her.

"Yeah, Father told me that he had his memory erased back in our second year and now he's living at Mungo's, handing out autographs to anyone who'll take one."

"I know..." Hermione said, remembering her encounter with her old professor in her fifth year.

"So, what time do you get off work?" Malfoy asked, examining a book of hexes.

"Five. I'm busy tonight, though. I've got plans with Ginny Thomas."

"Maybe I can come?" sounding somewhat apprehensive.

"Nope, sorry. Monday's are girls' nights out."

"Well," Malfoy looked thoughtful, "how about tomorrow night? We can call it our one week anniversary."

Hermione looked up from the card catalogue she had wandered over to. Malfoy had never exactly seemed the type to remember an anniversary. "Sure."

"Alright then, I'll pick you up here when you get off work tomorrow."

"Okay, it's a date," Hermione said, nodding.

"A date? Wow, imagine going on a date with your own fiancée! I feel so special..." Hermione elbowed him in the ribs. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Sarcasm," Hermione replied brusquely and winked.

"Alright, I'll see you then. Now, I'm just going to step over to Knockturn Alley and get you a gift. I'm thinking dung beetle earrings, what do you think?"

"You want another elbow in the ribs?" Hermione asked, eyebrow raised.

"There you go with your threats again... See you later, dear."

"Yeah, you too, Greasey..."

"That my new pet name?" Malfoy asked, considering it. "Not very flattering, but it's original. I like it." With that, he left.

...

Hermione met with Ginny directly after work and they went to the movies. Recently Ginny had gone on a sort of quest to find a match for her.

"How about him?" Ginny asked, pointing to a man a good five rows down.

"Are you kidding me? He was making out with that girl not but two minutes ago," Hermione said, not having felt up to explaining the Malfoy situation yet.

"Well," Ginny thought for a moment, "how about him?" She pointed to another man.

"He has gray hair!" Hermione whispered.

"No he... oh, yeah, you're right..."

"Anyway," Hermione whispered, summoning some courage, "I've actually, er, met someone."

"You're kidding me? Who? What's he like? Good looking?" Ginny muttered, all in one rush. Someone in a seat behind them groaned audibly.

"I'll tell you later," Hermione said, pretending to take more interest in the film than she really had. She wasn't sure how to broach the subject. The next hour and a half passed far too quickly, in her opinion.

...

"Well, tell me about him," Ginny said, as they walked into the lobby, and Hermione could no longer postpone the question.

"Well, the good news is you know him," Hermione said slowly.

"Oh no!" Ginny wailed. "It's not George, is it? I'm telling you that it'd never work. His divorce was just made final..."

"No, no, no! It's not George..."

"Who then?"

"Well," Hermione said, deliberating, "I guess I might as well just spit it out. It's Malfoy." She waited as her words sunk in. Ginny's face slowly went from anxious, to crestfallen, to... excited?

"Malfoy?" she said, almost laughing. "Draco Malfoy? How on earth did this happen?"

"Well... apparently in his family there's a sort of Marriage Contract. If he isn't married to someone who fits the specifications by next year, he's going to lose out on the fortune and end up cursed. You know what happens to cursed people, don't you?"

"Of course! That's just... that's horrible! Wait a second, did you say marriage?"

"Yep... I'm the only girl left that meets the specifications. Lucius is threatening to do me in if I back out."

Ginny looked at a loss. "So you're telling me that you're getting married to Draco Malfoy? Has he been civil at all?"

Hermione stopped. "As a matter of fact, he's been a near-perfect gentleman. At first it was just because he needed me to cooperate, but now... Now he just seems to want this to go as if we weren't at risk. It's almost like he wants us to fall in love..."

"And... is it working?" Ginny asked, not meeting Hermione's eyes.

"Maybe..."

Ginny clapped her hands together. "Well, what are you doing hanging out with me, then? When are you seeing him again?"

"Tomorrow." Hermione straightened. "He said it's our one week anniversary."

"That's fantastic! You know, differences aside, I think the two of you would really make an excellent couple. That is, as long as you don't kill one another."

"Hey, we're saving one another's necks. We can't afford to kill each other!"

"So... Have you talked about having children at all?" Ginny asked, all smiles now.

"Er, no..." Hermione felt a lead weight drop into her stomach. That was something to be dealt with in its own time. Still though, the thought of a cute little girl with his hair and her eyes sort of floated up into her mind. Any child of theirs was sure to be adorable. Fresh thoughts about the whole thing running through her head, she said goodnight to Ginny and went home, wondering what her "anniversary" would be like.