Chapter 2
Having gotten rid of her most annoying suitor, Hermione focussed on managing the letters and invitations from the others. The majority she rejected outright, sending polite refusals. A few she put in her "perhaps another day (when I'm running out of time)" pile. Finally, she was left with six candidates who seemed interesting enough to warrant further investigation. After running through the names with Ginny and getting the go-ahead, she sent her replies and got back to focussing on work. Owls were sent back, and dates were arranged.
When her first scheduled date arrived, she ensured that she left work at a decent hour. In the midst of getting ready, however, she received an owl from her suitor, apologizing profusely for the last-minute notice, but he had to cancel their plans for the evening due to an unexpected family emergency that would keep him out-of-country for at least two months, and could he please contact her when things had settled down? Although disappointed, Hermione sent back a reply in the affirmative and expressed her concern and best wishes. She put away her evening-wear and settled into her favourite chair for a quiet evening of reading.
Hermione thought nothing more of the incident until she found herself in a similar predicament...for the remaining dates. A serious Quidditch accident. A Potions disaster. An urgent commission from work. A work-related problem that could not be further elaborated upon due to the sensitivity of the matter. The final one was an apology sent from the suitor's mother, whose son was not able to communicate directly with her due to a yet-unknown illness. All requiring at least several weeks of recovery, could we please confirm at a later date.
It had to be more than sheer coincidence, but then again, Hermione had never been particularly lucky. Ginny dismissed her doubts that she had somehow turned into an unattractive and undesirable witch, pointing out that her rising reputation as a significant contributor to the improvement of relations between the Muggle and Wizarding worlds was becoming more widely known and favourably reported. And so, she told herself to stop thinking too much.
Her spirits improved even more when she received an invitation to dinner, written in French, from a wizard named Giauzar Beaufoi. He explained that he had been away on business, but now, having returned to his native France, he would be delighted if Ms. Granger would consent to an afternoon outing followed by a small dinner at his favourite restaurant in Paris. Intrigued, Hermione consented and received an owl with details regarding date and time as well as a Portkey.
She felt apprehensive when the Saturday arrived and kept expecting an owl that would cancel the date. But no such message was delivered, and so she grasped the Portkey and found herself looking at an open field and, a short distance away, a stadium.
"Punctual as always, Granger." She whipped her head around and stared disbelieving at the owner of the voice.
"Malfoy?"
