Hermione Granger really knew she should have suspected it wasn't just some simple "Let's Dance." But Harry had been there, and Ginny, and Malfoy had been whispering in her ear, his hot breath lingering on her neck.
It wasn't until she got to the Ministry on Monday that she realized there might be a teensy little issue. It started with Vicki running up to her... "Hermione! You won't guess!" Hermione found herself blinking at the excitable brunette. If Vicki wasn't taller than she was, Hermione reflected, she would have resembled an overeager puppy. Vicki grabbed Hermione by the wrist, and said, "Come see!" As Hermione rushed by, she realized - with rather a little bit of confusion - that everyone was looking at her, most looking amused, a few looking a bit cross. Why had people decided she was at all interesting this morning? Hermione Granger was done with her brush with fame, and rather liked being Miss Boring War Hero.
Stepping into her office, she found the hawthorn flowers on her desk, woven carefully into an lemniscate. Odd, that, Hermione thought with a measure of shocked detachment - after all, it wasn't her birthday, and she wasn't upset, so who would be sending her flowers? And such an odd choice... If it were Ron or Harry, it would have been red roses. If Neville had thought of her, it would have been something far more exotic. Vicki frowned at the frown on Hermione's face, "Hermione, what's wrong?"
"Who on earth could possibly have decided to send me flowers?" Hermione asked, looking down at them.
Vicki managed to conceal a smile from Hermione, as she said, "There is a note..." Vicki was not about to admit to peeking - or that she had told Becky, and Paula had overheard and told the rest of the office.
"I humbly request the pleasure of your good company, at Cornucopia in Diagon Alley at 7pm this Friday. ~Draco Malfoy" Hermione's eyes widened, until she was sure she looked like a bug. Draco Malfoy was asking her to dinner. She wanted to tear up the letter - and the flower arrangement, no matter that it had thorns.
"Oh, Merlin! Hermione, you've got to go! Tell me you're not going to say no...!" Vicki squealed from behind Hermione's shoulder - reading over it, as usual.
"I don't see why I should give Draco Malfoy the time of day, quite frankly. He's always been a foul git..." Hermione's conscience twinged, as he hadn't been this weekend. Wait... was this part of what he had said this weekend? You'll figure it out soon enough. Was he still expecting her to play along?
"Oh, Hermione! It's just one date - and it's Draco Malfoy, so you don't need to worry about another!"
"What do you mean, I don't need to worry about another?" Hermione said darkly, evenly, looking at her friend. She was not about to listen to another person making fun of her appearance.
"Draco Malfoy never takes a girl out twice. He's been seen with nearly everyone-" Vicki lowered her voice, "even Luna Lovegood..."
"And does Mr. Malfoy generally send flower arrangements to ask someone out on a date?"
"If you were that rich, wouldn't you?" Vicki responded.
Paula looked in, and whistled, "Draco Malfoy? I wouldn't waste the opportunity to go out on his dime. Besides, you probably could use some haircare tips from him." Paula walked off cackling.
"You've got it girl, why not flaunt it?" Brett said, walking by with an admiring glance. Not that he figured he'd ever stand a chance with Granger - she was a maneater if ever he saw one. But, Draco Malfoy? Who could miss him?
Hermione Granger's head was whirling, and she wasn't liking the idea she was spinning. She would go out with Draco Malfoy, she supposed. If only to give him a piece of her mind for being so shiftless and indecisive. But, she didn't need to like it!
[a/n: Hermione got talked into it (this was originally going to be with fairly stupid arguments, but suddenly her coworkers started making sense). Her workplace knows her well.
Draco Malfoy is going to be extremely nonplussed
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