In Need of a Date!

Summary: Hermione was set to marry Ron, Ron cheated on her three nights before the wedding, Hermione found out and called it off. Now, five years later, Harry and Ginny are getting married and Ron is the best man, whilst she is the bride's maid. To make it seem like she didn't come alone to the wedding, Hermione rings the local escort agency to find someone who would be perfect to taunt Ron. Just her luck, they have the perfect man, but what happens when he's Draco Malfoy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise.

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Chapter one: jUsT a FrIeNdLy dInNeR

'Mia,' squealed an extremely ecstatic Ginny, as she ran over to Hermione and embraced her in a hug, 'Mia I can't believe it; I'm getting married!'

'I know, how romantic,' Hermione returned the hug.

The two made their way over to the Three Broomsticks and seated themselves somewhere near the back. Hermione ordered two firewhiskys to celebrate and Ginny burst into an explanation about the wedding.

'The guests will be arriving over the ninth and tenth and on the tenth we'll be having a big breakfast for the guests who are already there. The wedding will be at the burrow and only family member will be staying there, which means you too Mia. On the twelfth there'll be a proper dinner with all the guests at and then on the fourteenth there'll be a brunch and finally on the fifteenth we'll get married. We're going to Australia for our honeymoon on the twentieth. How does it sound?'

Hermione, who had been downing her fire whisky like mad, nodded at everything she said and finally managed to squeak, 'sounds fantastic,'

Ginny seemed satisfied, 'So Harry says your escort is Malfoy?'

Hermione nodded, 'Yeah, I'm so sorry but I just can't turn up alone to your wedding with Ron being my ex fiancé and all,'

'Oh it's alright,'

'So you don't mind that the father of the man I'm bringing is the man that was responsible for leading you to Tom Riddle all those years ago?'

'Oh gosh no, Mia, the past is in the past; we left all that hate back in Hogwarts, didn't we? Besides anything to torture my brother, and I'm for it 100,'

'Really?'

'Yeah, well just because he's my brother and Harry's best friend it doesn't mean he should get by everything easily,'

Hermione smiled, 'I promise you Malfoy won't be out of line,'

'I do hope so, now did Harry tell you about you guys sharing a room, with one bed?'

Hermione smiled mischievously, 'Yes, he said it was your idea?' she raised an eyebrow.

'Well, it is my idea but the trick to that room is that there's a sofa bed that no one knows about. Everyone, including Ron, will think you guys are now sleeping together but only us girls and Malfoy will know the truth,'

'Thank you so much Gin,'

'No worries,'

'You aren't going to tell Harry,'

'Of course not. You see he'll tell Ron everything about you and Malfoy, apart from the fact that you're not really a couple, so we want him to know as little as possible,'

Hermione nodded, 'and will Harry mind that I'm bringing his school nemesis to your wedding?'

'Oh I don't think so. He was a bit shocked at first, but after a little talk about what Ron did to you he thinks something along the same lines as me,'

Hermione smiled weakly, 'I'll still check with him tonight,'

'Okay, are you going to tell Ron tonight that your date is Malfoy?'

'I suppose, but hasn't Harry already told him?'

Ginny shook her head, 'he said we should wind it into the conversations tonight,'

'That's brilliant,'

'I know!'

The two girls sat for merely another hour and a half gossiping over the wedding and Hermione's love life.

When they finally left the Three Broomsticks Hermione was in a much better mood about bringing Malfoy to the wedding.

'Oh look its Lavender,' observed Ginny, 'Lav, Lav,' she waved her down.

'Hermione groaned, 'No don't Gin,'

Ginny didn't here her and went and embraced Lavender in a hug, 'Lavvy, haven't heard from you in a while, did you get your invitation?'

'What? Yes, congratulations. Hi Hermione, didn't see you over there,'

Hermione stuck her head out from around the tree she'd been hiding behind, 'Hi Lav, sorry I've got a weak stomach,' she lied.

'Well we'd love to stay and chat but wedding business calls,' announced Ginny, finally noticing Hermione's unease around Lavender.

'Yes by Lav,'

'Alright, see you at the wedding,' Lavender waved good bye, 'oh Ginny before I forget has Ron told you that we've gotten back together?'

Hermione, who had started walking away, suddenly stopped and her ears tuned into the conversation.

'Back together?' Ginny raised an eyebrow.

'Yes, we were together five years ago. It only lasted a couple of months, but he wants me back,'

'Ron never told me about that,'

'Hmm, wonder why?' added Hermione.

'Alright, now we must be off,'

'Bye,'

'Bye,'

'Bye,'

Once Ginny was sure Lavender was out of earshot she turned to Hermione, 'You never told me Lavender was the girl Ron slept with,'

Hermione cringed.

'Come to think of it you didn't really tell me much about that incident, all I knew was that he'd slept with some witch and you dumped him,'

'I know, but it as really hard to talk about it, I mean I loved him for so long and then…'

Ginny nodded, 'Well, what happened?'

Hermione must have looked confused because Ginny added, 'the whole story right now!'

'Okay, well Ron said he had to work late, so he could take extra time off for the wedding, and of course I believed him. The next day while I was in Diagon Ally I ran into Lavender and we went to get coffee. I was just about to tell her about my wedding when she asked me who she'd gotten together with. Thinking it must have been someone from Hogwarts I assumed it was either Dean or Seamus but she said no. she kept me guessing until the only person left I could think of was Ron. But he was marrying me, so he couldn't have gotten together with her. So I gave up and she practically screamed 'Ron! For two months Ron and I have been madly in love!' Later that evening I confronted Ron about it and I decided to break it off. Saying that if he was going to go behind my back, even before we were married, then our marriage would never work,'

Ginny sat, gob smacked.

'I don't think he expected me to run into Lavender,'

'What a bastard, what a lying bastard,'

'Ginny, it was five years ago,'

'Yes, but when you said he'd slept with some other witch I just assumed it was a one night stand, not a five month relationship. Plus I thought it was just some random witch off the streets, not someone we were friends with,'

Hermione groaned, 'Can we just not think of it for the rest of my life, please,'

'Alright, but I am going to talk to him about it,'

'What no!'

'Come on,' said Ginny, completely ignoring the conversation they'd just had, 'time to go look at dresses,'

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'Where are they?' asked Harry, impatiently tapping his foot on the stone.

'They're girls mate,' said Ron, 'they're always late,'

As if on que both girls appeared by the boys sides. Ginny planted a passionate kiss on Harry's lips while Ron just nodded, as though acknowledging Hermione's arrival.

'Hi,' she muttered.

Harry slung an arm around Ginny's waist and the four of them made their way to a nice multicultural restaurant.

'So what did you girls get up to today?' asked Harry, once they were all seated, Harry and Ron opposite Ginny and Hermione.

'Well what do you expect we did?'

'Well being girls I assume you went and had a couple of beers then maybe stuffed around a bit in Zonkos for a while?'

Ginny smiled, 'you know me too well darling. Actually we had a long talk over a cup of coffee and then went browsing all possible jewellery/clothes stores in Hogsmede,'

'Is that all?'

'We're girls Ron; we like to spend a day relaxing,'

'We ran into Lavender,' Hermione added, looking at Ginny.

Ginny understood, 'Yeah, she said you guys had gotten back together?'

Ron ears flushed red, 'Yeah, well,' mumbled.

'So I assume she'll be your date at the wedding?' asked Hermione.

Ron nodded, rather sheepishly.

'You bringing any one?' he asked Hermione, suddenly.

Hermione nodded, 'Draco,' she said, smiling at Ron's look of horror.

Ginny smiled at Harry.

'As in Malfoy?' spat Ron.

'Yep,' her smile grew even bigger.

'You're bringing that rotten bugger? As what?'

'What do you think; my boyfriend,'

Ron's horror had turned to anger, 'what! How long has this been going on?'

'Several months,' Hermione lied.

'Several months!' Repeated Ron, 'and how come I didn't know,'

'I didn't know you cared,'

'Of course I care, what would make you think otherwise' Ron suddenly realised what he'd said.

Harry elbowed Ron.

'Make me think otherwise? The fact that you slept with Lav three days before our wedding,' Hermione screeched, 'not to mention the fact that you'd already been seeing her for two months,'

Hermione got up and stormed out of the restaurant, 'I can't believe him,' she yelled as she kicked a near by tree. Moments later Ginny came running up to Hermione.

'Mia,' she panted, 'please come back in,'

Hermione shook her head, 'He wasn't meant to say that! He wasn't meant to make me repeat what he did to me!' tears began rolling down her cheeks, 'Maybe I shouldn't bring Malfoy, maybe this is mistake,'

'No! You've told him you're bringing him and now you must. Mia did you see the look of jealousy cross Ron's face? Sure he was angry but that's because out of all the guys you could've chosen to bring to my wedding you chose Malfoy. Believe me; he's more jealous than angry. He'll get over it and soon enough he'll be trying to break you two up,'

'But I don't want him to try and break us up; I want him to suffer!'

'And he will!'

Hermione looked back over at the restaurant to see Ron looking longingly at her, 'Alright, I'll come back in,'

Ginny smiled, 'Thank you! I promise you Ron will be breaking down as though it were his wedding,'

Hermione smiled, 'I hope so,'

The girls made their way back into the restaurant and the rest of the evening went by splendidly, though the tension between Hermione and Ron was becoming intolerable.

As they were all going their separate ways back home, Ron approached Hermione.

'Hermione?'

She turned to look at him and felt a sudden urge to leap into his arms; maybe she wasn't fully over him.

'What?' she asked, trying to sound blank.

'I, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for getting angry before. I just, I just don't want to see him hurt you,'

'Bit rich coming from you,'

'Look, I know that you'll never forgive me for what I've done but I want you to know that there's no one in this world I could love as much as I loved you,'

Hermione was stunned; she hadn't expected the boy who was so selfish to just admit his undying love to her.

Blinking away tears she asked, 'Then why did you let me go?'

'I was scared,' he said.

'Of what Ron? Never being able to screw another woman again?'

Ron's whole face flushed red this time.

'No, I mean, it was more I just didn't feel ready to commit to something so big,'

'Then that's all you had to say,' with that Hermione disapparated with a pop.

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AN: I don't think I really enjoyedwritingthe beginning of this much, but writing the end wasn'tso bad. I do hopeyou guys like it. The next chapter will be aboutDraco going to Hermione's house. Please review.
Thanx for reading guys, Pipi!