Chapter eleven – Dining out
"How did you do that?" Harry asked as they left the classroom. He couldn't get over Hermione being better with him at Potions. Let alone Malfoy being better than him!
"Apparently Draco has some skills we weren't aware of," told Hermione. She was deep into her own thoughts, but somehow managed to stay grounded as well.
"Yeah – wonder who taught him that!" Hermione rolled her eyes. She didn't say anything as she didn't want another row, but she wished her friends would stop being so judgemental all the time.
"Zabini is the biggest, most selfish jerk I have ever met!" Harry exclaimed during lunch. Ron chuckled. "No, I'm serious, Ron! He lets me do all the work, and he does nothing but talk about his hair! His hair, Ron!" Harry nearly yelled, which only made Ron chuckle even louder.
"Sounds like you had a great class, Harry," Hermione commented, chuckling herself a bit.
"Oh yes, indeed," Harry replied with sarcasm all over his voice.
"Hermione, can I have a word?" a voice said. Harry and Hermione both turned their faces just to see that nearly the entire Great Hall were looking at them.
For what seemed like minutes nobody said a word. They were all wondering what Draco Malfoy, a Slytherin, was doing with Hermione Granger from Gryffindor.
"Yeah, sure." Hermione got up from the bench. Harry grabbed her wrist as to beg her to stay.
"I'm fine," she whispered to Harry and shook her hand free. A part of her felt oddly satisfied with the attention and daring glares. She saw several of the young ones whispering to each other. Together Draco and Hermione left the Great Hall behind and walked along the corridors. Draco didn't seem to have a destination in mind; he just led Hermione around the grounds.
"I was thinking, when do I pick you up Friday?" Hermione frowned, staring clueless at Draco.
"Friday?" she asked. They'd stopped walking, and were now facing each other.
"Yes - our dinner at Hog's Head, remember? Slughorn told me that we're free to go whenever. There'll be a thestral carriage awaiting," Draco shared. Hermione's eyes widened. She hadn't expected Draco asking her – the two of them at dinner alone seemed ridiculous.
"Draco, you don't have to take me. Go with Pansy," Hermione suggested.
"I don't want to take Pansy anywhere but my bed," Draco replied with a bit of smirking.
Hermione made puking-noises. "That's disgusting." She had heard rumours of Pansy and Draco being friends with benefits, but she had never before understood exactly which benefits were in talk.
"Come on, Granger. It'd be fun!" Hermione considered it for a while. She honestly couldn't imagine herself having dinner with Draco Malfoy. She also feared how Ron and Harry would feel about it – they had only just made up, after all.
"Do I have to wear a dress?" Hermione asked after minutes of consideration. Draco threw his head back in relief.
"Yes, that'd be nice." They grinned. And for a moment Hermione once again flew back to the rooftop of the Malfoy Manor. There was something in Draco's piercing blue eyes that made Hermione feel like every thing was going to be all right.
"Six o'clock," said Hermione, and went off to the common-room. The boys had Divination, but she had skipped that. She didn't believe in any of the things Professor Trelawney had to say. Instead of being mediocre at it, she had quit.
"What the heck did Draco want?" Both Ron and Harry were curious when Hermione met them just before Defence Against the Dark Arts. She debated whether to tell them or not. It'd make them rather… pissed to find out that she was "going out" with Draco. It was not a date, Hermione was sure. She only hoped Draco believed the same – that he didn't expect her in the bed.
"Arrange our dinner at Hog's Head," she admitted. Ron dropped his wand on the floor in surprise. He had been rehearsing "Expellimellius" again. He was close to mastering it. It was one of those spells he had never quite taught.
"You are actually going out with him? Bloody hell, Hermione!" Ron was red in the face - it matched his hair.
"Why, are you jealous?" That shut Ron up. He tried to form a sentence, but couldn't quite find the words, instead he returned to rehearsing "Expellimellius".
"Are you mental?" Harry whispered for in that same moment Professor Snape arrived to teach them. He looked angry and dirty as always. His greasy hair was glued to his face.
"Probably," she said, but her words drowned in the noise of eager students trying to find their seats before Snape could yell at them.
As Friday approached - and it came faster than Hermione had expected - Hermione finished her classes and rushed to her Dormitory to prepare for her night out with Draco. She had borrowed a dress from Ginny - the one she had worn to the Slug Club's Christmas party. It was in a pretty shade of red with tiny straps and a low back. It suited Hermione perfectly and did not show off too much of her body. She was not like Pansy who showed off both legs and breasts as soon as the occasion was for it.
Hermione looked at herself in the mirror just before she left. Her hair was a mess, she thought, and the dress had suited Ginny better than her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"You can do this, Hermione. You have to," she repeated several times to herself, before she left the Dormitory. She felt like a little girl playing dress-up, but she anyway kicked herself on the go.
"Oi, are you wearing that?" Ron reacted as he saw Hermione.
"Yes, Ronald. Why, do you have a problem?"
"Yes I bloody do! I mean, er, Harry and I mean that you might be getting some unwanted attention from Draco," Ron explained. He blushed once again. He was such a terrible liar.
"I've never said that," Harry added in a rush. He was reading in his Potions book once again.
"Unwanted attention?" Hermione could not come up with words to say. Was Ron suggesting she looked like a prostitute?
Hermione rushed over to the boys, grabbed Harry's Potions book, and threw it into the wall. It made their entire fellow Gryffindors in the common-room turn their faces towards the trio.
"Hey!" Harry gasped. Hermione ignored him, and stormed out of them room. It was unbelievable how easy they made her tick. She hoped that an evening in the company of Draco would cheer her up just a bit.
Hermione entered the empty Entrance Hall a few minutes to six. She was getting sort of excited about the evening. It was probably because she was dying to get outside of Hogwarts' walls for a bit - get some different food. She had just come back to Hogwarts, she was aware of that, but she easily got claustrophobic and longed for the outsides. And Hogsmeade was one of the cosiest places she knew. It was beautifully lit by lamps at night, she had seen once in Astronomy class.
"'Mione?" She turned in surprise. She had gotten lost in her own thoughts. Draco appeared at the bottom of the staircase. He looked gorgeous, Hermione had to admit, wearing a black suit. It made his blue eyes and blonde hair look even more shining than usual.
Draco smiled, revealing his perfect set of pearly teeth. "You ready?" he asked, and walked closer to Hermione. He placed his arm around hers, and together they left the castle behind.
"Have you ever had dinner at Hog's Head before?" Hermione asked Draco as they were seated in their carriage. The night had turned dark by then. The stars shone even brighter than in the Great Hall. Hermione liked the fact that if her arms were long enough she'd be able to reach them. Touch them. She wouldn't be able to in the Great Hall. She took a deep breath of the fresh air.
"No, actually not. But I have heard it's a great place." Hermione and Draco were seated opposites each other, and glared into each other's eyes. Hermione got lost in Draco's as per usual- it was almost like they were telling her a story- so she was surprised how fast time had passed when they arrived at Hog's Head.
Draco helped Hermione out of the carriage like a true gentleman, and even opened the door for her at the Inn.
The only person in sight - the owner, Hermione assumed - was an ancient man with a long grey beard. At first sight Hermione thought it to be Dumbledore. They had a few similarities.
"Good evening. Students at Hogwarts, I assume?" the old man welcomed. His voice was deep and hoarse, but yet understandable.
Draco nodded. He showed the man the gift card that himself and Hermione had received from Professor Slughorn. Hermione was feeling odd about the place. The floor was so dusty that it looked as if the floor was not even there; like the Inn was build on bare ground. Rough wooden tables and chairs were placed all over the small, darkened - only lit up by candlelight placed randomly around - empty room. Hermione recognized the room as the place where the first DA meeting had taken place. Back then she'd sworn she would never return - the place frightened her a bit. She hoped Draco's presence would make her feel a bit more comfortable than if she had went alone. She felt grateful that no one else was around – the customers at the Inn often wore dark hoods and clothes covering their faces.
They were showed to a table pushed towards the back wall. A window so filthy that it was impossible to see through was placed just above the table.
Draco rushed to Hermione's side and pushed out the chair she was to be seated in out from underneath the table.
"Here you go," he said, and she sat down with a smile on her lipstick-covered lips.
"Thank you," she answered under her breath. It took her by surprise how gentle Draco was towards her. She had gotten so used to him being an arse.
"So you've slept with Parkinson?" The question escaped Hermione's lips before she had considered the consequences of it. It made her feel stupid having to ask. Apparently Draco's sex-life was common knowledge.
Draco blushed but grinned at the same time. His gaze was focused on the almost burnt-down candlelight placed in-between them. They had just ordered food - something simple and light that hopefully wouldn't give them food poisoning.
"Yes, I have. I would expect you to know so, Granger. Or does your knowledge only stretch to what is written in books?" Hermione heard the sarcasm in Draco's voice but still felt a bit hurt.
"I don't listen to gossip - rumours are only as false as the person who made them up."
Hermione was too looking deeply into the candle. Something about fire made her feel comfortable and homely.
"That is so true," Draco said, making Hermione think that he had had some kind of experience with false rumours.
"Anyone else?" Hermione asked - once again not thinking before speaking.
"Hm?" Draco looked up from the candles. He had been lost in his own thoughts and had therefore not heard Hermione's question.
"Is there anyone else you've slept with?"
In that same minute the ancient man delivered their food and two bottles of Butter-beer.