Here we are, second chapter! Hermione decides to go through the idea of dates, even if her friends don't support her. What do you think is going to happen? Tell me who you think is going to be her dates!
"Are you sure you still want to do this? It isn't too late to change your mind," Ginny said, looking at Hermione like she had lost her mind, and in a way, Hermione had. "No one will tease you if you change your mind."
"Gin, I love you, I really do, but I won't change my mind." Determined, Hermione wanted to go ahead with the plan she had thought of the day before. "This is something that will be good in the end, you know?"
They were at the coffee shop where the flyer had said she needed to sign up for the twelve blind dates. Hermione understood why her friend was so worried about her, but at this point in life, she was just tired of the way her cousins made her feel.
She was an accomplished lawyer, had her own flat, and she was only twenty-four years old! Hermione couldn't understand what her cousins had against her, but they had always been like this. It had gotten worse after her sixteenth birthday when her cousins started to bring dates to the Christmas party.
"If you are so certain about it, go ahead." Ginny sighed, still worried, but Hermione believed she didn't have anything to worry about. She glanced at her watch and sighed. "I need to go to the office—Hooch doesn't care if it's the weekend or not, the news can't stop. But call me as soon as you get home, all right? Let's have a girls' spa day."
"Blaise will complain that he missed it, but I'm in." Hermione laughed alongside Ginny before she hugged her friend. "I'll call you. Don't worry so much."
"I only worry because I care about you," Ginny said. "I need to go, but I'll meet you at your flat later, all right? Remember to call me."
"I will. No need to worry so much, weirdo." Hermione smiled at her friend's antics, but she knew Ginny cared about her. "I'll even bake some of the chocolate muffins you love so much."
"I love you! Hope you have an amazing day!" Ginny cried, and Hermione laughed while waving goodbye. "I want all the details later."
Hermione waited for Ginny to turn around the corner before she took a deep breath and entered the coffee shop.
Hermione loved the name of the place: The Smart Cookie. It had made her smile when she had seen it; it was what had made her feel better about the whole idea, not that she was going to ever admit that to Ginny.
"Hello, and welcome to The Smart Cookie. What can I do for you today?" a girl barista asked her when she reached the counter.
"Ahn, hi!" Hermione awkwardly said, trying not to blush because of what she's going to do. "I'm here to sign up for the twelve dates."
"No problem! Just sit at one of our tables, and I'll be with you soon for you to sign up," the barista replied, smiling, and Hermione felt better already. "Do you want something to drink or eat while you wait?"
"One caramel macchiato, please." Hermione waited for her drink and then moved to sit at one of the tables, thanking all the deities that she knew that the coffee shop was mostly empty.
Hermione sipped on her drink, trying to disguise how nervous she was. She had a feeling she was the only one signing up for the dates today, but she couldn't be certain. Maybe the man sitting in the corner was here for this too; he might be one of her dates. He looked like someone she could meet anywhere… but then, he started talking to the cookie in his hand.
Hermione bit her lip, thinking that this was a really bad idea and whether she could run out of there before someone stopped her. But then, the barista sat down in front of her with a clipboard and smiled at her, and Hermione lost her chance. She tried to relax instead.
"All right, sorry for taking so long," the girl said, smiling at Hermione like she'd had too many espressos. "I'm Lavender, by the way, and the one who came up with the Christmas dates idea. It's an amazing way to meet people, don't you think?"
"Yeah, I guess..." Hermione said, not knowing what else to say. "I've never done anything like this before."
"Oh, you'll love it!" Lavender looked like Hermione had told her that Christmas had come earlier. "It's a lot like speed-dating, but instead of having all the dates at once, you can have one each day. It's great, isn't it?"
Hermione didn't have it in her to tell Lavender what she was feeling right now. She may have been drunk when she had made the decision, but she refused to back out now, hoping that it was something that would help her in the end.
"It does sound like it," Hermione replied, not knowing exactly what she was entering. "Do you have the forms for me to sign?"
Lavender almost squealed and handed Hermione the forms, showing her what she needed to write. The questions on the form surprised Hermione with their simplicity, and she again began to think this was a good idea. She had answered all the questions in no time and was starting to look forward to the dates.
"We will put up your file, and we'll email you the names of your dates with the information you'll need." Lavender was smiling so wide that Hermione felt bad for not being as enthusiastic. "Keep in mind that the dates are all on you, so you'll need to figure it out where to go. I hope you find the one you're looking for."
"Thank you. I hope so, too," Hermione replied, making an effort to smile a little wider. "Thank you for taking time to sit with me and help me through it all."
"Don't worry, hun. I'm here if you need." Lavender stood up and winked at Hermione. "I have a feeling that you're going to enjoy all your dates."
Hermione stared at Lavender as she walked away. She just hoped the woman was right. Lavender may think that she was looking for the one, but all Hermione wanted at that moment was to find someone for the Christmas party and keep her cousins off her back.
"You look giddy," Ginny said later that night when they were having their 'girls' spa day.' They were at Hermione's flat, doing manis and pedis and relaxing; Ginny was sitting at her couch, finishing a second coat of nail polish while Hermione sat at her armchair, just relaxing and feeling happy. "Have you received an answer from them already?"
"Yeah, Lavender—the girl who's organising everything—sent me an email already with the names of my future dates, and I'm feeling good about it." Hermione smiled, excitement washing over her. "They look promising."
"Oh, let me see! Let's see who'll have the honour of trying to win the lovely Miss Hermione Granger's heart," Ginny said in her best commentator voice. Hermione laughed at her antics. "Are you excited? I know I am."
"Yes, I'm excited but also nervous. Who knows? I could even find the one." Hermione didn't know if she was going to find her perfect match in the end, but she was willing to try. Hermione was scrolling over her email, showing Ginny the list she received. "Look at these names… It's a good thing I didn't know any of them beforehand."
"I don't know any of them either," Ginny added, going through the list of names Hermione had shown her. "But I think you're going to have a great time."
"I hope so," Hermione murmured, closing her email and turning to her friend. "Now that we've already talked about my love life, how about we discuss yours?"
Ginny blushed and didn't meet Hermione's eyes. "What do you mean? My love life is amazing the way it is, so I don't have anything to discuss."
"Oh, really? How about how you blush every time a certain blond we both know comes near you?" Hermione grinned like the cat who ate the canary. "Don't you trust me? I've shown you all the men I'm going on dates with, but you can't even tell me about your little crush?"
"There isn't much to tell. It just makes me want to slap him sometimes!" Ginny groaned and dropped her head into her hands. "When we go out, it looks like he's interested in me, but then, he doesn't do anything! It's driving me crazy!"
"Have you tried to talk with him about it? Maybe he's waiting for a sign from you?" Hermione asked, coming to sit next to Ginny on her couch. "You know how dumb men can be sometimes."
"I thought about it, but it doesn't seem like it," Ginny answered, smiling sadly. "I'm fine with it. No need to worry."
Hermione knew her friend wasn't fine, but she decided not to say anything... yet. Seeing how Ginny needed some distraction, Hermione had the perfect thing in mind.
"All right, to take your mind off this, how about you help me send the message for the first date? I don't even know who I should go out with first."
"Now this is something that I can help with," Ginny said, clapping her hands together. Her smile was a little maniacal in Hermione's opinion. "Let's start with this one and see if he's up for a coffee date at your favourite coffee shop. What do you think?"
Hermione bit her lip, doubting for a second if she should continue with this or if she could back out. Shaking her head to get rid of her doubts, Hermione smiled and motioned for Ginny to write the email.
"But not at my favourite coffee shop. Let's choose something else," Hermione said, taking her laptop from Ginny.
"What? Why? I thought you would want to be comfortable on your date?" Ginny asked, confusion written all over her face.
"And I want to, but what if the date isn't like I expect? I don't want to ruin my favourite coffee shop with a terrible date," Hermione replied, making Ginny laugh. "A coffee date is a good place to start, right?"
"The best one since you don't expect much and can have fun while on it." Ginny inspired confidence in Hermione with her answer, and the latter hoped that she was right. Hermione saw Ginny finishing writing and clicking send. "And... your date is set! Oh, I'm so excited!"
Hermione smiled at her friend's enthusiasm. If her heart was beating like it wanted to escape her chest, that was a good thing, right? She just hoped that the date would be good and that she didn't end up regretting anything.