Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
"When he steps in and the rest of the world steps out."
Hoo Is Right For Hoo?
Long time Witch author Wanda Omega has recently released a rather controversial book. The title, Hoo Is Right For Hoo?, depicts the very nature of the book. Omega stated that when she released this guided dating book, she had meant no harm. Questions from angry witches and wizards alike have been raised, accusing Omega of not believing wizards and witches can find the cliché 'true love', just as muggles do-
Hermione let her attention wander away from the blazing headline. Ignoring the ironic situation, Hermione edged away from the Daily Prophet, all too aware of the picture of a blinking owl blazoned onto the paper under the article title. In an attempt to distract herself from her current single status, Hermione had begun leafing through the Daily Prophet in order to lose herself. She soon found that she didn't enjoy this pastime, as it was because of this damned paper that she found herself in her current position.
It's not the papers fault. It's yours. Ron and you just didn't click the way you had thought. Hermione pushed such thoughts out of her mind and sat back in her chair, aimlessly sipping her hot chocolate.
The minutes passed into hours faster than Hermione could blink. Too soon she realized that Ron would be coming home to their flat, though she supposed that it was his flat now. She didn't have the strength to face him. Running away was uncharacteristic of her, but her throbbing heart needed time to recuperate.
That's how she found herself packing her belongings away in an old suitcase she found under the bed. Clothing, books, a photo album, the list went on. When she was finished, she shrunk the suitcase to a size that would fit in her pocket.
A last glance around their apartment, Hermione wiped a stray tear that had wandered down her cheek. Setting herself tall, Hermione apparated to a place she knew witches and wizards were always welcome: The Leaky Cauldron.
In all truth, Hermione hadn't been to the popular wizarding pub in ages. After the Second Wizarding War, she had heard that Tom, the landlord, had either retired or passed away. Hannah Abbott became the landlady, and she moved in with her husband, Neville Longbottom.
The dark and shabby pub had a bar and a number of tables in the corners. It was just as Hermione had remembered. Her eyes trained over to the bar, where the grubby barman she had known previously was replaced by a younger man, probably in his mid-thirties.
After she set up a room for herself, Hermione made her way up the handsome wooden staircase. Despite the sketchy pub downstairs, the rooms above were surprisingly welcoming. As usual, as Hermione opened the door to room 12, she was greeted with a fire crackling in the hearth. She set her now enlarged suitcase down on the polished floor and took a deep breath in and out. An urge to go down to the bar and drown out her sorrows with firewhiskey was overly appealing. Hermione was not one to be reckless, but perhaps it was time to change that, if only for tonight. A side glance at the mirror on the wall, Hermione pushed her bushy hair up into a messy bun, not caring about her appearance. With a final glance at herself, she skipped down the staircase and made her way through the dimly lit room. She sat herself down on one of the rickety stools as the bartender made his way up to her.
"Preference?" he asked her, leaning forward over the counter slightly. She considered this for a moment before shrugging.
"Gimme the strongest you've got," Hermione replied recklessly, causing the bartender to chuckle good naturedly. He must have gotten that one a lot.
"Rough day?"
Hermione shook her head, looking down at the smooth surface of the counter. "You have no idea," giving another light laugh, the bartender placed a shot glass in front of her. Raising her eyebrows slightly, Hermione grabbed it and downed it quickly. The liquid burned her throat
"Is that really the strongest you have?" she asked suspiciously.
"We wouldn't want you to be taken advantage of," his eyes scanned the dim room quickly before resting back on her. "A pretty woman alone at the bar late at night, you have no idea what kind of men lurk around here,"
Hermione frowned, but nodded in understanding. That was the first kind thing someone had done for her all day. "Thanks-"
"Jake," he supplied for her.
"Thank you, Jake," she grinned. "If you will," Hermione held up the glass. Jake gave a hearty laugh before grabbing a larger glass and refilling it. He pushed it in her direction then took off to tend to another customer.
Hermione sighed and returned to staring at the table. She had full intentions of getting drunk, to drown her sorrows away, yet something was stopping her. It made her feel pathetic. Shaking her thoughts, Hermione lifted the liquid to her lips once more and took a large gulp, her eyes almost watering.
She had just swallowed when she heard it, "Ah, you're here too," a smooth voice said from her left. Hermione set her drink down on the counter and turned to face the wizard beside her.
"Is this where all wizards go to mourn over their lost relationships?"' she said in a half joking way. He didn't seem to take offense to it.
"It seems so. You and me are the living proof,"
Draco set his drink down on the counter as well, signaling to the bartender to refill it. Hermione regarded the drink with curiosity. "What is that?" she frowned at the glowing green liquid as Jake slid it across the counter and back into Draco's hand. Giving him a nod, Draco glanced over at Hermione.
"Something strong enough to make me forget everything in the past twenty four hours," that sounded like a pleasant idea at the moment. It seemed that Draco had the right idea.
"I think I might have to take one of those,"
Draco raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you can handle it?
"If I can't, I'll be grateful,"
A smirk quirked his lips. "That's my way of thinking," he signaled Jake over. "I'll have the usual, and get one for her as well. She's on me tonight,"
Hermione eyebrows shot up as Draco's voice slipped over her. His words shot straight to her core. She knew that he meant to pay for her, but the way it left his lips made it sound sexual. Hermione found it hard to hear his words any other way; the man was gorgeous and carried an air of mischief that made a woman's fingers tingle. It certainly didn't help that he seemed to have a permanent bedroom voice.
"Do you buy drinks for women often?" she questioned, keeping her voice as even as possible. Draco leaned forward slightly, closer to her.
"Only when I feel obliged to," his silvery eyes had darkened and were peering into hers. It was disorienting, having him so close to her. Hermione swallowed, hoping that he wouldn't notice how much he was affecting her.
"Oh? And what is so obliging in this situation?"
Draco gave her a crooked grin that made her heart stop. "It's not like you, a smart little thing, playing dumb," his lips hovered near her ear. "You humor me," his breath tickled her neck and her own breathing quickened. She could smell his natural musky scent, and it was intoxicating. Hermione wanted to blame the alcohol for her thoughts, but she knew that she was kidding herself. Quickly pulling away from the man that was stimulating her in ways he shouldn't have, Hermione regained equilibrium with herself before saying,
"Why, thank you for your generous actions. Now what kind of drink have you gotten for me?" truth be told, she was a bit concerned. Draco was the type of man that could hold his liquor, she knew well from her school days with him.
A shark like grin captured his mouth. "No drink has ever tasted so good yet done so much damage, in my opinion," he said in a low voice just as Jake slide two glasses across the counter. Draco nodded in thanks before continuing. "It's my favorite to relax on. It packs one heck of a punch, though you think you could drink them all day," he gestured to the drink before them.
It was a brownish yellow drink, in a long glass that was cool to the touch, with a lime placed delicately on the edge of the glass. "What is it?" Hermione gazed at the drink then back at Draco, who was watching her carefully.
"Long Island Iced Tea," he answered, pushing it towards her. "It's a mix. One shot of vodka, one shot of gin, one shot of spiced rum, a shot of tequila and a shot of triple sec," Draco listed off. Hermione's eyebrows shot up. So it wasn't as delicate as it looked.
"Where does the color come from then?" Hermione asked curiously. It seemed to glow under the lighting.
"Cola is mixed in," he added as a side note, and Hermione nodded in understanding. "You know your drinks," Draco noticed, surprise gracing his features.
Hermione felt an uncharacteristic smirk snake its way onto her lips. "Naturally,"
"So you have a naughty streak in you, who knew?" Draco teased her lightly. "I wish I knew about it earlier," Hermione's heart did a jack hammer trick in her chest. What was he playing at? Her heart still ached from Ron, and she didn't think she could take anyone else pulling at her heart strings.
"What makes you think that you would have gotten anywhere if you had known earlier?" Hermione's voice was laced with a touch of venom. Draco sensed this, his own guard going up.
He leisurely took a sip his Long Island Iced Tea, and when he turned back to her, his face had changed. It was no longer light and playful, but held seriousness and a small hint of desperation. "I have a favor to ask of you," he began slowly. "Though I don't know if it's much of a favor, as it benefits you as well as me,"
Hermione's brown eyes narrowed suspiciously, "And what might that be?" Draco stared at her face for a moment before answering.
"I have a proposal," his voice was light, aloof, and slightly cautious. The way he was looking at her sent shivers down her spine in anticipation. "You want to get back at Weasley, correct?"
His question shocked her. She had not expected him to ask her that, and she was caught off guard. Eyebrows furrowed, she stared down the blonde. "What do you want?" she asked him. Draco chuckled, obviously having suspected this.
"What do I want, Granger? Many things. The two top on my list of priorities right now is getting back at Astoria for cheating on me with your weasel, and…" he paused, looking at her in an almost leering way over his glass. "You to help me get revenge,"
"And pray tell, Malfoy, how would I do that?" Hermione's eyebrows shot up, doubt and mocking evident in her voice.
"Date me," with that he tipped back his glass, letting the alcohol slide from the sleek material and down his throat.
She watched him for a moment before his words sunk in. "Are you mad?" Hermione felt anger and confusion bubbling deep within her. "Why would I want to date you-"
"Consider yourself lucky that I'm offering this, Granger. Riddle me this. Greengrass and Weasley cheated on us with each other, correct?" he was stating the obvious, but Hermione felt the need to nod. "Let's entertain, for the moment, the idea that you and I started dating. Fake dating, but they needn't know the details. Having us pretend to date would completely throw them off guard, make a news story, take away from their spotlight, because, come on, that's all Astoria ever wanted in the first place. I could list a thousand pros about this idea,"
"And I could list a thousand cons," she frowned, but felt curiosity peaking her senses. "Let's entertain, for the moment, that I turned down this idea of yours?" Hermione leaned forward in her seat, the fabric of her dress skimming up her thighs.
Draco ran his finger along the inside rim of his glass, almost more interested in it than he was her. When he finally lifted his eyes to her, they were much darker than they were before. She sucked in a breath. "If you turned down this idea…well," Draco looked away for a moment then back at her. "It would be your loss. I know you, Granger. Even though we weren't anywhere close to being on a personal basis, I did attend school with you for six years, and I know that you are not the type of girl that lets her broken heart control her. No, you take control of your life, and you fight back. You have a little Slytherin in you," he winked at her. "Now you just need to harness it. Pretend to date me, Granger, we make Weasley so jealous of you that he'll come crying back to you, and then you can decide where to go from there,"
She blamed it on the alcohol that she agreed.