Draco looked at Hermione Granger brusquely, asking, "Darling, are you terribly starved?" He touched her arm to heighten the effect.
"No, not even a little famished." Granger said gamely, playing along into the role of "straight man."
"Then dash the plans, we'll just make new ones!" Draco said with a throaty chuckle. He gathered Granger into his arms with a smile, and said, "Hold on tight!"
Granger and Malfoy blinked into existence in a dark room. Malfoy waved his wand, lighting a gentle glow. In two strides, he was at the light switch, turning it on. Dazed, Granger was blinking at the sudden change. By the time her vision had returned, Draco Malfoy was saying gallantly, "Welcome to the Demi-monde, where mysteries abound - and there's a whore around every corner." Hermione was still trying to come to terms with where in the blazes they were - Draco Malfoy's words were barely registering (although the word whore got a well-deserved glare). "But I forget myself - you hail from here!" And Draco Malfoy laughed, pulling a "catching up at last" Granger into the crook of his elbow, as he guided her towards the door. "Good thing we lost the robes, dearie..." His smile was somehow feline, the smile of a cat who's put your best friends pet rat in your shoe.
They stepped out into a red carpeted hallway, and Draco Malfoy walked along briskly, as Hermione Granger - eyes sparking, finally worked up the braincells to say something, "Mister Malfoy, where are you taking me?"
"La Boheme - by Puccini," Draco said with another catlike smile. He took three strides forward - Hermione had stopped, and said with satisfaction, "Ah! Here we are - after you, my pearl," he said, opening the door.
"I'm not your anything." Hermione said, stiffbacked, as she entered the room.
"You are my date - for tonight." Draco said, pausing a moment, "Sit down, relax." He plopped down in a seat, resting his crossed feet on the bannister indolently.
"But! These are box seats! They must cost a fortune!" Granger said, wringing her hands in agitation.
"Anything to get away from the press - here, look at this -" Draco Malfoy handed Granger a picture, which showed Deanna Vermier, her hair all in disarray, microphones pressing awkwardly into portions of her anatomy that did not welcome the strange intrusion. "This is what happens when you see the press on their terms."
"Wow, they really go after you, don't they?" Hermione Granger said with false sympathy. "Maybe if you didn't go out with a witch a week..."
"Are you offering?" Again, that catlike grin played across his face. "Anyway, if you insist on going dutch, you can reimburse me for the cost of a regular seat. Not that these cost me a dime - we paid for the theater a long time ago."
"You, Draco Malfoy, own a theater?" Hermione's laughter sounded like brassy bells, "Wonders shall never cease!"
"Not for tonight, at any rate. Sit back, and enjoy the legerdemain."
And Granger did, seating herself carefully - not inclined away nor towards Malfoy, who rather approved of the punctiliousness.
[a/n: Every time I start writing this date gets weirder. I hope you enjoy... write a review, please?]
