Chapter 3
Hermione got ready the next morning. She wore a simple pencil skirt and cardigan, plain and simple. Blaise had gone home to change ahead of their lunch date. A bit of hair taming and some lip gloss and she was ready. She rarely wore makeup during the day, and she didn't see the need to change that because she was going to lunch with the Slytherins. If things went horribly wrong, she could just leave, she concluded.
She heard a knock on her door, which was Blaise obviously. It was ridiculous how excited and happy she got whenever she saw him. He was just so perfect. And she deserved someone perfect.
He looked very handsome, of course, a bit more casual than his work suit, but still more formal than Ron or Harry had been outside of a wedding or ball.
"You ready?" He said. "You look good enough to eat."
She blushed a bit and then nodded. She still wasn't entirely used to compliments. It had really knocked her for six to begin with but she was getting better at receiving compliments.
He side along apparated her to what must have been a restaurant, but more private than a Diagon Alley eatery as each table had its own room.
"Blaise, you're here." Someone said. Flint. Hermione hadn't seen him in years. Still had those teeth. He would probably be better looking if he'd do something about them. They were quite brutal looking. Her father would not be able to help himself from commenting on them.
And there they were, the Slytherins, or rather some of the Slytherins, Miles Bletchley, Adrian Pucey, Theo Nott, Pansy, Daphne Greengrass, and Graeme Harper. And then the blonde nuisance. He looked the same, a little older, a little more grown up, but it was definitely him. She hadn't seen him in person for years. He was in the paper regularly. He was still the most eligible bachelor in the country according to Witch Weekly, a point that had made Hermione stop reading the gossip rag all together.
She followed Blaise to two free chairs at the table.
"Blaise darling, I'm so glad you're here." Pansy said with a bright smile.
"You remember Hermione Granger." He said to Pansy.
"Of course I do." Pansy said, her smile not faultering and Hermione had to give her credit for that. "Studious Gryffindor if my memory recalls. Are you in training for Hogwarts professorship?"
"No I work at the Ministry." Hermione said.
"Oh, I would have expected you would end up doing something bookie."
"I do." Hermione confirmed.
"Well, all is well in the world then." Pansy said. "Adrian, my sweet, could you come see my grandmamma next week. She is dying some company from someone who isn't wrinkley and suffering from gout."
"If you absolutely insist Pansy." Adrian said. "This is the last time, you have to stop using me to serve tea to old biddies."
"But you are so entertaining." Pansy pouted. "And the biddies absolutely adore you, just as I do."
Blaise then introduced her to all the parties around the table. They nodded as he mentioned their names. They certainly were polite enough when the occasion called, and Hermione was glad. Even Malfoy nodded, and then turned away. Turning away is good.
"How did your function go last night?" Pansy said with a mischievous look. "I hope Miss Fletchnary behaved herself."
"I had Hermione here to serve as an effective deterrent to anyone who suffered from delusions." He said and squeezed her knee.
"You should have come to Marcus' after. We had an incredible night." Pansy said. "The boys are still a bit pickled. Why didn't you come?"
"I had other things to do." Blaise said and Hermione tried very hard not to blush.
Pansy made a pfft sound. "Seriously Blaise, you're not settling down to middle age already are you? You have to watch yourself spending all day with those ancient partners at your firm. You are spending much too much time with the elderly."
Hermione tuned out to Pansy's chattering, it wasn't directed at her and it seemed to be mostly banal chatter. Pansy was manicured in every possible way, her hair was straight and sleek like every single dark glossy strand had been beaten into submission. Her make-up was flawless and her nails were glossy, showing off the perfect tan.
A waiter gave her a menu at and she spent a moment perusing it. It was in French, which luckily she knew enough of not to make a fool or herself or have to ask Blaise to order for her. Hermione ordered a beef stew, while Blaise ordered Coq au Vin. Pansy and Daphne both ordered Nocoise salads.
"Do you ever eat anything more than a few leaves, Pansy?" Adrian asked.
"I have to do my bit to keep this figure." Pansy said with a radiant smile.
Malfoy didn't order anything other than more whiskey.
"Are you not eating, Draco?" Pansy asked.
"I will stick to a liquid lunch today." Draco said. "No need to bring in new elements to disrupt a perfectly balanced constitution."
"So, Hermione." Adrian said sitting next to her. "What do you do at the Ministry?"
Hermione spent a few minutes filling him in on her role at the Ministry.
"Sounds horrendous." He said. "They must work you at all hours. So you and Blaise met at work. An office romance?"
"No one is better suited for horrendous work than her." Malfoy pitched in. "No one enjoyed scrubbing cauldrons more than her."
Hermione ignored him. "I guess you could say that." She intended her answer to be to Adrian's question, but it came out as answering either.
"Unending fascination with manual labour." Malfoy continued. His approach wasn't direct enough to be insulting, but there was definitely something underneath the teasing demeanour.
"I am a great fan of a bit of manual labour." Blaise said, which was a barely disguised double entendre.
A look exchanged between Blaise and Malfoy. Hermione knew it was about her, but she didn't quite know enough of the subtext to understand what it meant.
She was rescued from the uncomfortable situation by her food arriving. Pansy didn't stop chattering throughout the meal. Apparently she called everyone darling or my sweet.
The food was beautiful. Rich and creamy, and seasoned to perfection.
She looked up during her meal and found Malfoy watching her as he swung back some of his whiskey. She didn't quite know what to make of that.
"So what is Potter up to these days?" Marcus Flint asked.
"He is qualified as an Auror now." Hermione said. "He's been in training for a number of years and has achieved his qualification."
"Oh." Marcus said.
"I suppose he is suited to that kind of work." Daphne said. Daphne was incredibly beautiful. Preferring more one on one conversations to Pansy's need to dominate the whole table.
"I guess so." Hermione said, not entirely sure what the girl was asking.
"Someone has to." Nott said. Nott seemed more quiet, and Hermione suspected there was some kind of relationship between Nott and Daphne.
So this was the in-crowd. The rich, spoilt young of the pureblood elite. She wasn't sure any of them other than Blaise did any work at all. Malfoy certainly didn't. Adrian still played Quidditch for one of the professional teams. The girls certainly didn't and they had never expected that they would. Even at school, everyone knew that they would be going onto careers in leisure,shopping and lunching, maybe the odd charity work if the mood struck them.
"So, Draco." Daphne said. "Who has your attention this week?"
"That would be the Halsteth twins, if you must know." He said. "They keep me well occupied."
"I don't know how you do it." Graeme asked. "One is trouble enough, let alone two."
"There is nothing a bit of jewellery can't solve." Malfoy responded.
Hermione remained quiet. There was a biting little quip she could well rip into, but she decided that the less interaction with Malfoy she had the better. She certainly didn't want to return back to the school days where they insulted each other at every available opportunity. Firstly, she didn't care that much about him, even though he seemed to be the same old waste of space that he always was, and secondly, she didn't really see it as becoming to duke it out with someone like him. She was known for arguing good, strong points in a professional manner, which didn't include lowly mudslinging.
"So you are still enamoured with the charms of the delectable twins then?" Nott said.
"Delectable being the operative word." Malfoy said with a grin.
"The beef was superb." Hermione turned her attention to Blaise. "How was yours? Can I try the sauce?"
He felt up a spoonful for her and she tasted it.
"Mmm, I might try that next time." She said. "It is amazing how the same dish can taste so different with different chefs."
"Do you want some desert?" He asked. She gave him a look that said, of course I do, but not the kind that needed company. He leaned towards her ear and whispered. "Dirty girl."
Hermione smiled. She liked the little naughty edge she had when she was with him. It wasn't something she had really explored before, but when he called her a naught girl, she really felt like one.
Lunch with the Slytherins had been interesting. She probably wouldn't go any further than that, but she'd had enough. She wanted to spend time with Blaise back in her apartment.
"I will take you somewhere Italian next time. French is good, but if you really want to get into delectable, you have to try good, authentic Italian." He said quietly. "Of course, I am slightly biased."
"You will have to be my guide."
"Fear not, I won't lead you astray."
Hermione smiled again. She didn't mind if he did. He got up and excused them. Hermione said a general goodbye and briefly nodded to the table. She was so ready to get out of there. Preferring to have better things to think about than the spoilt glitterati of the wizarding world. All in all, it had gone well, and it was now something she could tick off the list of things she never hoped to do.