A/N: Inspired by an article I saw online. Call me silly but it just sounds fun.

10 Old Fashioned Dating Habits Aro Makes Cool

Hermione's experience with dating is sorely inadequate. After all, she had only dated a few boys; namely, Cormac McLaggen, whom she brought to Professor Slughorn's party; Viktor Krum for the Yule Ball and of course; her ex-boyfriend, Ronald Weasley. Because he came from a different time and he's definitely older than anyone she's ever dated, Aro is different than any of the boys she'd ever known, including those that her friends have dated. These are the things that made him different.

1. He always comes to her doorstep to pick her up.

Even though they were staying at the same fortress, he would always take the time to pick her up right at her door step. She had been expecting that they would meet near the main door. Sometimes, she had not yet finished dressing up when he comes to pick her up, he would sit somewhere and patiently wait for her. He would even offer his advice when asked for it but no matter what she wore, he would always compliment her for her choice and the manner she would carry it. It certainly boosted her self-image.

2. He dresses up really nicely for their dates, not too formal or too casual.

From their first date, Hermione always felt flattered that he would always take the effort to dress up nicely even if they're only going sight-seeing. He wore a grey suit instead of his usual black one and had forgone a tie. He also wore a mild scent. Even though she had not wanted to, she can't help but compare how difficult Ron found dressing up in the occasions he'd needed to. Perhaps, Ron is merely used to a different sense of fashion given the fact that he grew up in the Wizardry World and Hermione grew up as a Muggle. Despite not following the trends, Aro's classy sense of dressing up for whatever occasion had the girls around him swooning. Hermione felt smug that despite the attentions he receives from the opposite gender, he looks at her as if she's the center of the universe.

3. He would always bring her flowers and a small trinket as a gift.

Sure, Hermione understood Ron's so-called stinginess. It's actually a result of his deprived childhood. He is still afraid to land himself and his future family in the same said situation, because no matter how happy they were, the Weasleys as children didn't really get many things. She doesn't really fault him for that. It's not even the amount of money spent, but it's the idea that her date thought highly enough of her to give her a token of his appreciation. She protested the expensive gifts Aro had given her on their first few dates. He'd insisted that he could well afford it, but she told him that she prefers something he did himself. He took the suggestion and had taken to giving her flowers and a story or a poem of his creation, always written in beautiful calligraphy.

4. He knows how to really dance and not grind on the club floor.

Dancing for Hermione's peer group consists of almost having sex on the dance floor. Ron, having found out about clubbing from Harry and their friends, would drag Hermione along for the ride. She, however, refused to grind on the dance floor and instead nursed a single drink as her ex-boyfriend dance with the grinding pieces of flesh on the dance floor. He would often call her a square for it, but cannot refute the fact that had she not been sober, he and their group of friends would not make it home in one piece after these clubbing trips. Aro on the other hand, once swept Hermione in time with the music when they were walking in a park one evening. It was a slow dance and he held her close without being improper. Hermione didn't really know how to dance and did not have much of an experience except that one time she danced in the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum, but Aro is a good dancer and had been able to lead her well. Many couples around them started following their lead. From Hermione's point of view, he probably didn't think much of it, but he took her breath away.

5. He calls their dates, dating or in translation for him courting, it was not the "hanging out" she was used to.

On their first date, while he was in the middle of his historical spiel about the place they were walking on, he brought about the non sequitor topic of what exactly he's doing with her. "I am not interested in just going out with you, Hermione." He said suddenly and without warning. Hermione looked at him quizzically. "I like you and I would very much like to get to know you. If you would have me? In my time, we do not date a woman without the intention of courting her. In fact, we do not date at all and seldom court but just offer to marry the woman. But I know you are born from a different time so, I know that you have different expectations." Hermione placed a hand on his arm. "I understand." She smiled at him and he smiled back, looking at her questioningly before finally reaching for her hand and continuing with their tour.

6. Unlike most guys, he doesn't assume that they were "going steady" after a few dates.

Hermione and Ron had been dating for over a year, but they do not really have an established anniversary. Although, Ron believes it's the same date as the Battle of Hogwarts. Why don't they have an anniversary? Simple, after three dates, Ron assumed that he and Hermione are "going steady". He had not even asked her opinion about it but started telling people that they were an exclusive couple. Aro, on the other hand, asked Hermione after their fifth date if she would like to be his girlfriend as the term of her generation goes about it. Hermione was flattered at being asked (and the very nice pendant he still gave her despite her reluctance at expensive gifts. She let this one slide because it was simple enough to be worn daily and it was pretty.) and just asked him what he meant by it. He merely explained that if she would grant him this, it would mean that they would date each other exclusively. Hermione smiled and merely said, "Of course, I've not dated anyone else since we've started."

7. Aro is good at romantic gestures, be it writing poems and odes to love stories of the past or enriching her mind with proses of different topics.

While Aro is busy with his primary job of being a leader among his people, his previous part-time profession as a statue in the throne room gave way to writing sonnets, essays, poems and love letters. He'd never been much of one, when he'd first been married or even when he was courting his first wife. Besides, Sulpicia is hardly literate given the time she was born in and did not bother to learn in the intervening years of her immortality. Hermione, a girl from today's world is much more similar to Aro in her interests. She likes beauty and art and relishes in different ideas. From what little he'd remembered of his life before he was a vampire, he'd not been afforded much chance to learn how to read or write, given that his time had been when humans first started to invent an alphabet. But when he did become a vampire, his seemingly endless years had been driven by desire not only for power, collection of beautiful things and talented vampires but of learning. He took the time to learn different languages and writings, his eidetic vampire memory helped him retain what he'd learned. Now that he found the one he'd spent more or less three millennia, looking for, he'd had the opportunity to express feelings he'd forgotten or probably never had in his efforts of wooing her. Hermione is starting to feel affection for the man behind the pen.

8. Whenever they're together, he would focus all of his attention on her and would really engage a conversation with her.

She was so used to Ron boring her with statistics about Quidditch, specifically the Chudley Cannons and she would often try to listen politely but fail to remain interested. She knows this goes the same way for Ron, except he wouldn't even bother trying to listen to her. But conversations with Aro usually involve finding common grounds of interest, history, magic, politics or even architecture or just anything under the sun. Somehow, there's something almost magical with their connection.

9. He understands the general concept of asking permission for things.

The first time he held her hand involves a non-verbal cue, but most of the time, he'd ask for verbal permission. She had been the first to ask him out but he had been the one to clarify what it entails for him and practically asked her if she's okay with it. Since then, he'd been the one to ask her if they could go out again or where they would want to go. It took them a few months of dating (somehow the Volturi managed to find things she could do in Volterra and there had been some clients from the Italian Wizardry Ministry asking for her services and Aro asked her if she wanted to stay in Volterra while she worked) before he asked to kiss her. She had been frustrated at first, but she enjoys taking things slowly and savoring the relationship they're slowly building.

10. Unlike any other guy she's ever heard of, including even her friend Harry who's now in a relationship with Ginny, they expect to get laid even at the early part of their relationship.

If Hermione is to be honest, Ron had been pressuring her from the start of their relationship to sleep with him. In fact, because of his experience with Lavender, he'd expected Hermione to give it up early on. He'd been irritated and at times angry at her refusal, at the height of one of his drunken binge, he'd even told her she's frigid. A session of screaming from Ginny had ended that, Ron had apologized and tried to change his ways but as he once told Harry, he's a guy who has needs. Until lately, just before they've broken up, Ron had still been trying to convince her.

Aro on the other hand had not even suggested it, even as they are starting to reach the milestone that she'd had with Ron. He might be more patient because he has foreseeable eternity but he did not really feel the need to convince her of anything. Hermione had been relieved and grateful for the chance to enjoy a relationship without anything hanging over her head.

Hermione has a problem. She'd never felt this way for anyone before and as of yet, the three important words have not yet passed between them. Somehow she cannot just assume. She is afraid of what it will entail and whether or not she is ready for it.

Reference: thought cata log kate-bailey/ 2013/ 12/ 10-old-fash ioned-dat ing-hab its-we-sh ou ld-ma ke-co ol-aga in/ (just remove the space)