Theo Nott

Hermione sighed as she looked down at the parchment Ginny slid over to her. After contacting all the winning bidders, they'd returned notes to her detailing what times they'd be available to meet. Ginny had gladly taken over the scheduling of 'dates', and Hermione was beginning to wonder if she was more excited about this whole endeavor than Hermione was.

"So, this is what I've come up with," Ginny said. "I wanted to show it to you before I sent off confirmation to the guys."

Hermione looked down at the piece of paper and bit her lip.

Theodore Nott: Monday 7:30

Blaise Zabini: Tuesday 6:00

Lucius Malfoy: Wednesday 7:00

Draco Malfoy: Thursday 2:00

Severus Snape: Friday 4:00

Harry Potter: Saturday 12:00

They really were right on top of each other, weren't they? It was going to be a long week but she couldn't help but be excited about it too. Six very eligible bachelors wanted to woo her, and she had a feeling it was going to be a lot of fun before she had to make the final decision.

"Did they write anything else?" Hermione asked out of curiosity. The last letters had been quite revealing.

"No," Ginny said, shaking her head. "They all knew that your 'secretary' was handling scheduling," she laughed.

"So, are there any front runners?" Ginny finally asked when Hermione sighed over her tea.

"I told you, I'm giving them all an equal chance," Hermione said.

Ginny just rolled her eyes. "But did any of them give you that...feeling?" Ginny asked eagerly.

Hermione was about to answer when Adrian came into the kitchen.

"Go away," Ginny demanded, looking at her long time boyfriend.

"What did I do?" he asked, mystified.

"Hermione was about to spill the beans about who she wanted to win this competition, and I know her well enough to know that she won't say a word with you in here," Ginny said, matter-of-factly.

Adrian was about to protest, but Hermione scowled at her friend. "Actually, Ginevra," she bit out, "I was not going to tell you who I wanted to win, as I've already told you they are all getting an equal chance. What I was going to say is that I have a history with Draco, Severus, and Harry, so naturally, their letters provided the biggest...reaction," Hermione huffed. She knew her friend had manipulated her into revealing that information, but it didn't matter. Adrian wasn't going to say anything, under threat of death from Ginny, and it was true after all. If she couldn't talk to Ginny about these things, whom could she talk to?

"Yeah, I'll admit I was a little thrown by those three," Ginny admitted. "I mean, I always suspected Harry had a thing for you, but to bid as much as he did. And I knew nothing of this tryst with Snape," Ginny said, cocking her eyebrow at her friend.

"It wasn't a tryst. It was innocent. Nothing happened. There was just chemistry," Hermione explained. Adrian remained silent, but smirked behind his coffee mug.

"Whatever, Draco threw me for a loop too, though. Even after he was actively working for the Order, he never seemed to have interest in you. And he does sleep with anything that had two legs," Ginny said.

"I know. It's weird," Hermione sighed. She had the same concerns, wondering what his game was, or if he was playing one at all.

"Whoa," Adrian said, putting his hands up in protest. "The two of you cannot be serious. Every time I was at one of those Order meetings you all were so fond of, Draco was staring at Granger like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Besides, as one of his close personal friends, I can tell you, he's been into Granger since about his third year."

Hermione stared at him like he was nuts. "Any insight into Blaise and Theo?" She asked, cocking her eyebrow at her friend's boyfriend. It really wasn't fair, but if Adrian was willing to be insightful, it would be stupid to turn him down.

"Look in a mirror, Granger," Adrian said. "You are hot. You've been hot for years. Just because that stupid boy you were dating didn't ever tell you that, doesn't mean it isn't true. And it doesn't mean a man isn't willing to fix what that idiot broke."

Hermione blushed but smiled at his words. She didn't think she was ugly, but to hear Adrian Pucey, one of the most attractive men in the Wizarding World, tell her she was hot, was intoxicating.

"Well, anyway, it doesn't matter because I'm going to give them all a fair shot," Hermione said. "Although I'll admit, I'm a bit nervous about this whole thing."

"Which is why you have me," Ginny said with a bright smile. "We've got one day to prepare you for them. Now, let's go."

Hermione chuckled and followed her friend up the stairs.

Hermione took about five calming breaths as she checked herself over in the mirror again. She couldn't believe she was doing this. In actuality, she'd never been on a date before. She and Ron just sort of got together after the war, and they rarely went out. Dating was a whole new thing for her, and Hermione Granger didn't like that she didn't know what to expect.

But she was also excited. She would be going out with Theo tonight. She hoped to start a friendship even if there was no chemistry, and it was always exciting to make a new friend.

As she looked at her watch, there was a knock at the door. All the men had agreed to pick her up at her flat by coming to her door in a Muggle fashion. She thought she'd get a little resistance from the younger Slytherin men, but they heartily agreed. She just didn't feel comfortable having them Floo right into her living room. What if she was half-naked?

yle="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 13.0px Verdana;"She smiled at herself in the mirror, happy with the little black dress Ginny had picked out for her to wear with a pair of sleek black pumps. Her hair was wild, but attractive, and her makeup was simple. She looked good, if she said so herself, and she took one more deep breath before going to answer the door.

Theo stood before her in a pair of nice black pants and an emerald green oxford shirt, looking the total embodiment of a Slytherin. She smiled warmly at him and took the bouquet of flowers he offered her.

"You look stunning," Theo breathed, a goofy grin plastered to his face, and Hermione couldn't help but grin right back at him.

"Come in, while I put these in water," she said, turning to go to the kitchen. Theo followed her into her flat and stood in the living room, looking at the pictures on her mantle as he waited for her.

"These are Muggle, right?" Theo asked, pointing to the unmoving pictures between the moving ones.

"Yes," Hermione answered, hoping he wasn't about to say something about her Muggle heritage. "I like both Muggle and Wizarding pictures for different reasons."

Theo nodded with a genuine smile. "Shall we?" he asked, indicating the door.

"Of course," Hermione smiled, sighing with relief. She linked her arm in his as he offered it and grabbed her jacket on the way out. "Are we walking or..."

"Apparating," Theo answered. "It would be a little far to walk." Hermione just nodded and allowed him to lead her to the apparition point near her building.

"Hold on tight," Nott instructed, a tremor in his voice. Hermione suspected he was just as nervous as she was. He smelled of soap and she couldn't help but breathe him in slightly as she wrapped her arms around him, preparing for the side-along Apparition.

He pulled her close and soon she felt the familiar feeling of being sucked through a tube and dropped gently on the ground as they landed in front of a Muggle restaurant. "Muggle?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"Well, to tell you the truth, I've never been here," Theo said, blushing, "but I figured you'd like to avoid the press as much a possible."

Hermione beamed at him and kissed him on the cheek before she could stop herself. It was so thoughtful. "You are right. Thank you, Theo," she said, as he led her inside. His blush was deeper now, and she found it adorable. One thing was for sure. Theo did really like her. Did she like him back?

They perused their menus in silence and quickly ordered before turning their attention back to each other. "I feel like you know so much about me," Hermione said with a genuine smile. "I don't know much about you."

"Well, there isn't much to tell," Theo said with a slight chuckle. "I work in the Auror department. Actually, Blaise is my partner."

"Really," Hermione asked, her eyebrows shooting up.

"Don't worry. I know he's one of the winning bidders too," Theo said as he noticed her discomfort.

"That's awkward," Hermione said, looking at her hands.

"Don't worry about it, Hermione," Theo said warmly. "We've already decided to respect your choice, whatever it is."

Hermione smiled back. "I'll be honest with you. This is all very strange to me."

"What do you mean?" Theo asked, taking a sip of his wine as the waitress set it on the table.

"Well," Hermione said, "I've never really been on a date before. My only real boyfriends were Viktor Krum, which lasted about a month, and Ron which was a total disaster." She laughed nervously.

"Well, it's a good thing you have me to teach you the ropes, isn't it?" Theo chuckled, his nervousness dissipating a little bit. "But seriously, let's just talk. No pressure."

"Agreed," Hermione said with a smile. "So, what did you do after school?"

"First, I made sure my father ended up in Azkaban for life," he said seriously. Hermione nodded, knowing that his father had been one of Voldemort's inner circle. Nott had gone to the Order for protection, but she never really saw him as he was in a different safe house than she. "Then, when that was all settled, I traveled a bit-only for six months. I'd spent so much time wrapped up in the crap that came with the Dark Lord's rise that I never got to do anything for myself."

"That's really good," Hermione nodded emphatically. "I always wanted to travel."

"You should!" Theo said excitedly. "It was life changing. When I got back, Blaise was already working on his Auror training and encouraged me to try it. It came naturally, and I feel like I'm making up for my family's legacy."

"Not that you need to," Hermione assured him, "but I think that's admirable, Theo." When Nott smiled brightly at her, she couldn't help but return his enthusiastic smile. The food came almost immediately after that and Hermione was able to reflect on her time with Theo up until that point.

She didn't feel the spark she thought she should feel with a potential, but he was very sweet, and extremely considerate. Perhaps that was what she needed for her first time. He wasn't unattractive, and he clearly cared about her, even as he didn't know her that well, yet. He had impeccable table manners, and was a complete gentleman, something she wasn't used to, but enjoyed.

"How is it?" Theo asked, her pulling her from her thoughts.

"Delicious," Hermione replied. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"My pleasure." Theo said smiling warmly at her.

As they finished up their food, Hermione felt obligated to discuss the reason they were there, even as awkward as it might be. "So," she started, looking down at her empty plate. "I have a few questions, regarding the...bid, if you don't mind." She blushed.

Theo smiled at her again. "I expected that," he said, nodding for her to continue.

"Well, I guess I'm wondering, why you'd bid so much for one night with me. I have very little experience, and I guess I just don't understand," she said, looking at him seriously.

"Well," Theo said, nervously. "I'd be lying if I told you it had nothing to do with how you look. You are stunning. You have been since our Hogwarts days. As you know, my family fortune went entirely to me. My job gives me plenty of money to live off of, so really I have a great deal of money. I thought, if I got the chance to be with you, I had to take it. If it also goes to a good cause, so much the better."

Hermione couldn't believe how forthright he was being. No beating around the bush, not sugar coating. He found her attractive and wanted to be with her. "So, would you see this as a one night thing?" Hermione asked.

"That would depend on you," Nott said, sipping his wine. "I would love to see where a relationship could go between us. I didn't bid on you just to take your virginity, Hermione."

"So, let's say you were chosen, and we shared a night together, you wouldn't mind waking up next to me in the morning?" Hermione asked.

"Certainly not," Theo grinned. "I might be Slytherin, and trust me, I am, but I'm not lying to you about this. My intentions are honorable."

"Well, that's good to know," Hermione smiled. "Enough talk about that, tell me about your craziest case as an Auror," Hermione asked, eager to hear Theo talk about his work.

It was nearly 9:30 when Theo Apparated Hermione back to her flat. They had spent a wonderful date together talking about life and work, and Hermione had to say she really enjoyed herself. She felt like she had gained a new friend and hoped she wasn't off the mark.

"Well, I guess this is it," Theo said, nervousness back in full.

"Yeah," Hermione said, not knowing if she should move closer or just head up to her room. She assumed a goodnight kiss was expected. Besides, it might help her make her decision.

"I had an amazing time," Nott said, moving in closer, Hermione allowed him to, placing her hands on his biceps.

"Me too," Hermione said, smiling at him as he moved in closer still.

"I guess I'll wait for your letter," Nott said, his lips now an inch from hers.

"Y-yes," Hermione breathed, her eyes slipping shut as she felt his breath caress her lips. She couldn't believe how different this felt than it did with Ron. It reminded her of her first kiss with Viktor. His lips finally made contact with hers and pressed lightly against them.

The kiss was not long but not quick either. He smiled against her lips when she returned it and as they parted, she smiled back. "Goodnight, Hermione," Theo said, his voice husky.

"Goodnight, Theo." Hermione replied, watching him Disapparate. She smiled all the way up to her flat. It didn't set off fireworks, but that one kiss did remind her of what she'd been missing with Ron. There was something there, even if it wasn't overwhelming.

When she got to her flat, she quickly stripped off her clothes and hopped in the shower. She had another long day tomorrow and needed to get her rest.