Okay, so Marcus was a pig, but Theo was there to save the day! He's becoming her knight in shining armour, isn't he? But Hermione still has one more date… Think this one is going to be different? Tell me what you think!
"I thought that this was an art gallery, not a shopping centre," Justin's voice floated to her, and Hermione cringed. "Nowadays, anyone can come in here. What a shame."
Hermione sighed and wondered why she seemed to attract only weirdos. Justin was supposed to be a normal and incredible date, but she was wrong again.
In the wake of her horrible experience with Marcus, Hermione decided that it was time for a nice date for a change. Justin had asked her to go to an art gallery, something she adored, but he was already making her regret it.
He had even bought her flowers after arriving early to their date. Even though the flowers were not Hermione's favourite type, she was still touched by his gesture. Things went downhill after that.
"I've never been to this gallery before. Thanks for inviting me," Hermione said, looking around the exposition. "I wish I had more time to visit, but sometimes I am swamped at work and don't have time to do so."
She thought that Justin might be the one for her if he took her on the best date of her life, but she tried not to jinx it. His art knowledge and politeness impressed her.
Justin walked around the room, gazing at all the art pieces, saying, "This was one of my favourite galleries when I was growing up. I used to come here with my parents and it always struck me as beautiful. I'm glad some of Monet's works were shown."
"I love Monet! His works are amazing," Hermione began to say, but Justin interrupted her.
"The 'Woman in a Green Dress' is one of his most impressive works, and considering that he modelled it after his future wife, Camille, is so remarkable," Justin said in an almost monotonous tone. "He had Camille model for him as well in 'Women in a Garden'."
Hermione huffed, trying not to be bothered by his condescending tone. Justin came over and began lecturing her again as she walked towards another painting.
"I find it amazing that Monet was such an avid experimenter, painting the same subjects time and again." Justin's tone of voice didn't change. Hermione felt her eyes closing as he spoke. "Drawing inspiration from the unique qualities of colour and light he saw each time he attempted to recreate it, he created a wide range of vibrant works."
"You seem to know quite a bit about Monet," Hermione said, trying to stay awake. "I enjoy Degas' work in particular; it speaks to me in a way that other painters' work does not."
"It's clear to me that you don't know much about art." Justin scoffed. "You wouldn't pick Degas as your favourite if you had a little knowledge."
Hermione stared at Justin, who had just insulted her for having a favourite painter. "I always thought art was subjunctive, and you didn't need to understand it to appreciate it."
"Only the weak-minded believe that, Hermione." Justin laughed at her statement, and she narrowed her eyes at him. "If you want to learn something, you should visit more art galleries."
With a sarcastic voice masked by a sweet smile, Hermione replied, "I'll think about it. Why don't we continue looking around?"
"Alright, maybe you'll learn something about art in the meantime." Justin grabbed Hermione by the arm and began to prance around the room. Hermione sighed internally, regretting having accepted his invitation once more.
Having spent some time explaining how Hermione knew nothing about art and that she needed to expand her interests, Justin turned toward the other people in the gallery.
"This gallery was better managed when I was a child; the visitors knew how to dress and behave." Justin's sneer couldn't have been clearer, and Hermione wasn't sure whether he was speaking about visitors or her. "It's evident that not everyone knows about art."
Hermione began to say, trying to be heard, "I think art should be more democratic, not just for a small group of people. If more people had access to art—"
Justin interrupted her with, "Of course you would think that way. Hermione, you live in a fairy tale world; you need to look around yourself and see what art is all about."
Hermione took a deep breath, trying not to be angry, but it wasn't working. "Your attitude toward sharing knowledge and art is a bit elitist to me. I think you want to hog all the knowledge so people will perceive you as smart, but you're just a ponce."
Hermione's eyes widened after what she had said not because she regretted anything she had said but because of the way she had said it. She was usually more polite when she dealt with people like Justin, but she had just reached her limit.
"If you think so poorly of me, why did you decide to go out with me? I knew that you had some problems, but I never thought you were such a snob," Justin said before walking away and leaving Hermione standing in the middle of the gallery.
"Wow, that escalated quickly," Hermione muttered. "At least I got flowers this time."
Hermione decided that she wouldn't waste the date and kept on browsing the works of art sans anyone ranting in her ear about how she should have liked Monet instead of Degas.
Walking around, lost in her thoughts, she ran straight into none other than Blaise.
"What are you doing here, you weirdo?" asked Hermione, seeing Blaise crouched behind a statue. "Why can't you be normal for once, Blaise?"
"Would you mind lowering your voice, sorellina? I've been trying to be subtle, and so far, it seems to be working." Blaise dragged Hermione behind the statue. "I'm on a mission."
"Blaise, who are you stalking today?" Hermione asked, seeing his all-black attire. "And isn't it odd that I have to ask this?"
"I don't stalk people; I just keep tabs on them," Blaise replied, and Hermione had to control her laughter. "And I'm here watching someone while they're on a date."
"Please tell me you weren't spying on me! I don't think I can recover if it happens again." Hermione practically begged Blaise with her eyes.
"What? I didn't follow you, but I should have since you're here with me instead of with your date," Blaise said with a look at her. "Anyway, you'd never guess who is here."
"Who? The suspense is killing me," Hermione deadpanned, but Blaise didn't seem to mind in the least.
"Draco and Ginny!" Blaise practically squealed in delight while Hermione was stunned. "I know, I was shocked, too! Drake wasn't willing to tell me who he was going out with at first, but I had no trouble finding out."
"You followed them here, didn't you?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow. "When did this happen and why didn't Ginny didn't say anything to me?"
"It's probably going to be kept a secret for a while, but I wasn't going to sit at home and not try to find out what's happening in my best friends' love lives." He looked like a child who had received a new toy for Christmas.
"You're such a strange person, Blaise." Hermione shook her head, not believing her friend. "Come on, Sherlock Holmes, let's go to the coffee shop. If I'm stalking my friends, I'll need caffeine."
"I like the way you think, Granger. I should bring you along more often when I follow our friends," Blaise said, standing up and following Hermione.
"How often do you follow us around?" Hermione asked, interested in his answer.
"Not much, just when you need me or when I am at home, bored out of my mind." Blaise was smiling like a lunatic, and Hermione couldn't help but laugh. "It's a good thing I didn't follow you on any of your dates."
"That's the least you could have done, Blaise. Don't push your luck." Hermione noticed Justin turning the corner, and she hid behind the wall. "On the other hand, I'm so glad you're here."
"I knew you'd see the positive side of my plan." Blaise smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Bad date?"
"You don't know half of it," Hermione said, breathing freely after Justin had disappeared from her view.
"Tell you what: I'll buy you a cappuccino and you can tell me all about how your date went," Blaise offered with a soft smile, and Hermione felt a wave of affection towards him.
"A caramel macchiato and we've got a deal," Hermione said. She extended her hand to Blaise, who shook it.
"Hopefully, we can catch Draco and Ginny at the coffee shop." Blaise was smiling like a child now.
"Isn't that what you intended all along?" Hermione laughed, glad to have Blaise with her. "Let's go, detective." I can't wait to catch those two on a date."
Hermione's plans might not have worked out exactly as she had hoped, but she was glad she would get a caramel macchiato after all. There are times when a girl just needs some caffeine and good friends around her.