Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter & co. - just write what could have been. Please review! Reviews are always nice; I'd like to hear your thoughts on this fic :)

Chapter Nine

Hermione sat in her moderately sized office – perks of being a war heroine and Harry Potter's best friend; her door was closed to suggest that she was busy – which she was. She was re-reading the werewolf rights proposition for the fourth time, frowning at the topics the D.L.M.E and her own department wanted to go over. How was it possible that even in this day and age, magical people were still so prejudiced about lycanthropy? Hermione asked herself, biting on the inside of her cheek. While she knew the disease could be vicious and dangerous, there was many steps to take before it truly became deadly. The proposition for Better Elves Advanced Rights – B.E.A.R – was already in the process of being passed so Hermione was now focusing on werewolves' rights. Although, before she could frustrate herself further, there was knock at her door. She looked up, bewilderment running through her as her brows furrowed together. She wasn't expecting anyone, there was no meeting memos this week at all.

"Come in."

She said, loudly enough for the person behind the door to hear. She stared confounded at the sight of Blaise Zabini entering and beaming at her. More like smirking, she internally corrected herself. He strolled in, closing the door behind him but not fully. Hermione straightened up, appreciating the gesture of privacy but not completely. He was impeccably dressed as she had seen him before, dressed in a three-piece, dark emerald suit. He wore a light gray oxford shirt underneath and Hermione internally rolled her eyes at his Slytherin colors. Despite seeming to casually walk out of a fashion magazine, Hermione knew she didn't need to inflate the Italian wizard's ego further.

"Oh hello, Zabini."

She said as he looked at her minimally decorated office. There was a packed bookshelf, mostly filled with magical laws that Hermione needed to cite and a plant on top. There were no pictures hanging, but two simple, cushioned chairs in front of her brown, office desk. There used to be framed photo on the upper hand of her desk, but she put it away for the time being. Zabini's brown eyes strayed to the bookshelf and the golden pothos plant that was growing above. He finally turned to face her, truly smiling now.

"A little birdy told me it was your lunch time and I have a reservation at Zortifino's for four."

He said.

"Four?

Hermione asked before could decline. Zabini didn't sit, continuing to stand and smile down at her. He placed his hands in his pockets as he answered,

"Yeah, you, me, and your other favourites – Theo and Boy Wonder, Potter."

At the mentioning of Harry, she let a small frown form. Now there was little chance she wasn't going to go lunch with Zabini; if it was just her and Zabini, she would have politely declined. While she liked the smooth talker of a Slytherin, she didn't know him well enough to drop her work to go to lunch with him. She was planning to eat a sandwich here in her office so she could prepare for the counter arguments she had to give based on the questions on the proposition. But now that he mentioned Theo was going to be there and her best friend, she wasn't inclined to decline at all. Plus, she enjoyed authentic Italian pasta as much any other person did, a little more so if she was being honest. She bit the inside of her cheek before sighing softly.

"Just because Harry and Theo are expecting us."

She relented, grabbing her wand off her desk as she placed her most important documents in her locked drawer underneath her desk. She cast a lock charm silently and tidied up the stray papers as well. Zabini clutched his chest, mocking a wound.

"Oh Granger, you know how to woo a wizard."

She rolled her eyes at him but allowed a small smile to escape her at his theatrics. Hermione stood up, straightening her white oxford shirt tucked into her high waisted, dark brown trousers. She had accessorized the pants with a bright red belt and pulled on her canary-colored cardigan. Hermione had let her hair free, it had been in a French braid prior to Zabini appearing but the proposition had stressed her into messing with her hair repeatedly. Zabini offered his arm and Hermione rolled her eyes at him again, purposely choosing to let her hands fall into her trouser pockets. Zabini sighed heavily before saying,

"One day Miss Granger, you'll allow me the pleasure of escorting you properly."

Hermione laughed softly, shaking her head to disagree with him. While she knew both Theo and Zabini had rigid etiquette, she couldn't quite get the hang of it. He motioned for her to go ahead and she did, waiting for him as he shut her door behind him. They made their way to one of the elevators to get to the atrium – she wasn't head of her department so she didn't have private floo privileges. She tried to avoid the stares that they received when accompanied by with the taller, dark wizard, as Zabini didn't seem affected in the slightest. He held his chin high and seemed at ease.

"How long is your lunch, Granger?"

Zabini casually asked as they made it onto the elevator.

"An hour."

She answered, glaring at the two blond witches staring them down. They had the good sense to look away, abashed. They fell into a silence, suffocating Hermione slowly as she felt heat rise within her. The witches stopped staring but Hermione noticed they were whispering to one another. As if they don't have anything better to gossip about, Hermione furiously thought to herself. She clasped her hands in front of her to stop herself from fidgeting. Finally arriving at the atrium, the elevator stopped slowly, and Zabini leaned into Hermione. He waited until the other occupants left before whispering into her ear,

"If you want to go first, I'll follow behind."

She stood stunned for a couple of seconds before shaking her head. Hermione didn't think she outwardly showed how annoyed she was at the sudden attention, but apparently, she didn't hide it well enough. She was relieved at Zabini's thoughtfulness, once again surprised by it. She smiled up at him, remembering how he was quick to ease her discomfort the night they all drank, and she ranted about house-elves rights.

"I'm sure the reporters have someone better to follow around then me leaving for lunch right now."

Hermione optimistically said. However, her optimism was dowsed abruptly because as soon as they stepped out, there was a bright flash. Hermione knew the click and flash of the Ministry cameras better than she wanted to. She immediately scowled at the attention, closing her eyes tightly for a brief second.

"Miss Granger! Are you dating Mister Zabini?"

The reporter asked them, loudly. Hermione's right hand twitched towards her trousers' pocket where her wand was.

"Fuck."

She her Zabini swore softly. She gripped onto her wand, about to cast a silencing charm on the intrusive man before Zabini placed his arm around her shoulders and began hurriedly walking towards a floo exit. Hermione was pushed against a very sturdy, warm body and before she could object, she saw the flock of reporters that were coming from all angles. She let Zabini take control of the floo call as she glared at them. There was at least four of them that she could see, no doubt others already on their way. Hermione was fuming. Why is my life so important? She asked herself, running a hand through her curls. The green flames surrounded her and then they were out onto a dark room, lit only by eight candles around the room. There was dark colored curtain in front of them but Hermione couldn't hear anything that entailed they had arrived to a restaurant.

"Is this?"

She asked and Blaise cut her off, answering,

"Yes, they offered a private floo for war heroes."
Blaise resumed to smirk down at her as he let his arm fall from her shoulders. She had forgotten he held onto her, taking control of the paparazzi situation, and a small blush formed on her cheeks. Unsure if she was blushing because he held onto her and took the best course of action or his comment or a combination of it all, Hermione quickly let her gaze fall. She stopped staring at Blaise and opted to fidget with her clothes, straightening them out.

"Signore Zabini, right on time."

A short man dressed in a tuxedo came in, greeting the pair. Hermione saw light behind him but the curtains fell again to cover them in the private room. Hermione's assumption of a noise cancelling charm placed on the room was correct. There was no indication of a busy restaurant or anything at all behind the curtains.

"Excellent, please lead the way Lorenzo."

Blaise said as Hermione quietly speculated. The dark-skinned man nodded and he turned, opening the curtains to reveal the restaurant around them. The private entrance Blaise mentioned was in the back of the restaurant and cut off from the rest of the place, allowing a secluded area before one appeared to come into the food establishment. They made their way out to the dark room into a warmly lit dining room – the windows were high and they didn't allow much sun to come in as it was cloudy out. Soon, Hermione saw Harry and Theo's smiling faces. They were seated close by at a round table, a crème tablecloth placed over it and nearly at the floor. There were four plates set and two wines resting in silver wine buckets in the middle. Both wizards stood up when they saw her and Hermione walked towards Harry first. Harry was dressed as usual, in his D.L.M.E's uniform, and he hugged her briefly and when Hermione turned to Theo, he kissed her temple. Hermione blushed at the affectionate gesture, but she knew he didn't mean anything by it. The Nott Heir was dressed to the nines as usual – another three-piece suit but dark maroon this time with an oatmeal-colored oxford underneath. Blaise pulled her gold cushioned chair out for her and she sat down, eyeing the quiet but filled restaurant. It wasn't large, but it was big enough for at least eighteen tables, all covered in the same tablecloth with the same gold chairs. There were waiters dressed in tuxedos walking around, waiting on the privileged part of society Hermione rarely interacted with. She barely recognized the people there – just momentarily seeing them in the papers on the society tabloids or gossip columns.

"Ruddy reporters were on us as soon as we stepped out the bloody elevator."

Blaise uncharacteristically grumbled as he drank the white wine being served by a waiter. Theo rose his eyebrows at him as Harry looked at Hermione.

"Really?"

He asked. Hermione nodded but looked at Blaise, eyeing him curiously. She let her hands rest on her lap, barely glancing at the menu in front of her.

"I thought you enjoyed the limelight, Blaise?"

She asked him. She missed how Harry and Theo exchanged brief smiles at the mention of Blaise's first name on Hermione's lips. Hermione couldn't help but to ask; she had seen numerous pictures of Blaise smiling at the camera and he seemed to enjoy the attention. Blaise turned to her and smiled at Hermione, winking.

"I do enjoy it, Mia, but not at the expense of you who does not."

He answered her. Hermione blushed again at Blaise's nickname for her and Harry couldn't help but to chuckle. While her closest friends called her "'Mione", she only had one other nickname that her parents used. She gulped down the sudden sadness that threatened to invade and thankfully, Harry looked to her.

"'Mione, what are you getting?"

He asked her before Blaise could further tease her and Hermione could ponder on her nicknames. Hermione took a second before looking down at the menu, encased in glass, and charmed to hover. She noticed none of the dishes had a price besides them and Hermione begin to nibble at the inside of her bottom lip. Hermione looked at the menu before deciding on what she assumed was the cheapest item there.

"The squash spaghetti sounds nice, what about you?"

Hermione asked, still eyeing the way the letters glowed when she said what she wanted. Hermione appreciated the magical way of ordering food without having to interrupt the waiters; it was all impressive to her to say the least.

"I'm getting the chicken parmesan."

Theo answered, smiling at Hermione as she looked up at him. She couldn't help but to smile back at Theo's contagious positivity before looked towards Harry, still waiting for his response.

"The primavera sounds good."

Hermione nodded and said softly,

"Thank you."

To the short, fair skinned waiter who poured her a glass of white wine. She knew she should have expected somewhere nice when Blaise said he had reservation, but this was more than she imagined. Hermione probably wouldn't have gone to such a place unless it was a celebration – where they don't even have the prices! Godric's, she thought to herself. She would sure to pay for herself.

"How's work, 'Mione?"

Harry asked, sipping on water instead of the wine glass besides him. Hermione sighed softly, leaning back into the soft seat before she curled the ends of a hair strand around her fingers.

"Not good, unfortunately. The werewolves' right proposition I've been working on came back with numerous scratched out lines."

She answered, quietly. She didn't want to burden her friends with her own work problems so Hermione chose not to elaborate. She pressed her lips together to stop herself from complaining about her work.

"Daft prats."

Harry offered. Hermione nodded, agreeing with him when Theo leaned into the table as he placed his joined hands on top. He was sitting across from her while Harry sat on her left and Blaise on her right.

"Do you have counter arguments ready?"

He asked her, his blue eyes staring into hers. They were darker than she was accustomed to but Hermione decided that wasn't a bad thing. She nodded quickly.

"Well, I was working on that until someone interrupted."

She said, eyeing Blaise before returning to look at Theo. Blaise chuckled, leaning back into his seat as he continued to drink his wine.

"I take full blame for bringing you, but Potter's the one who told me to, so blame him for interrupting your rigorous work schedule."

Blaise said. Hermione turned to look at Harry who rose his hands in defense, a small smile on his lips. While his body language suggested submission, Hermione could see the gleam in his eyes.
"Were you even going to go out of your office this time to eat, Hermione?"

He asked after he placed his hands back down. Hermione rolled her eyes at him, knowing she wasn't but he didn't have to know that. Theo smirked at the pair before saying,

"You needed a break Granger, before you tore out all that lovely hair of yours."

Hermione huffed slightly, crossing her arms over chest before she decided to change the topic.

"Do you have my coat, Theo?"

She asked. Theo's smirk grew and Hermione couldn't help the suspicion that fell over her when Blaise joined in, looking both like the cat who got the crème.

"I did, but Draco took it – accidentally."

Theo said, his smirk never faltering. Hermione's suspicion grew, especially when Theo seemed to add the "accidentally" last moment. What did Malfoy want with her coat? For the love of Morgana. Hermione fumed to herself.

"Accidentally."

She stated her tone monotone. Theo offered her a cheeky smile while Blaise completely avoided her eyes, but a smirk still in place. Suspicion arose in Hermione but she didn't voice it. She hoped to avoid Malfoy after his sob story with Harry and the flowers he sent, but it seemed the universe was working against Hermione – in more ways than others.

"Zabini, please say what you want so we can eat before I actually starve."

Harry interjected Hermione's thoughts.

"I'll have the margherita pizza."

Blaise said out loud and the menus disappeared, a puff of white smoke taking their place before slowly disappearing as well.

"He took it by accident, Granger. I'm sure he'll write to you to apologize profusely before returning it."

Theo said, returning back to the conversation she didn't want them to dwell on. She hadn't told the Slytherins about their friend and she hoped Harry hadn't either. Hermione forced a small smile and her hands to still in her lap, nodding.

"I'm sure you're right, Theo."

She said. She saw Harry glance at Theo and Blaise do the same, but before she could ask what nonverbal communication was occurring between the wizards, a dark blond witch was walking towards Theo. She was tall and wore a white, sheath dress that fit well on her lithe figure, dark blue pointed heels, and a "G" pinned on top of her left breast. Her dark blonde hair was styled into a tight, high ponytail and Hermione could see the dangling, gem earrings hanging. A brunette wasn't far behind her and Theo immediately stood up, kissing the blonde witch on both of her cheeks and doing the same to her female companion. The brunette wore a tea length style dress, it was floral patterned and mostly a soft green, she wore white kitten heels, and her straight brow hair was let loose, flowing almost down to her elbows. The pair didn't look like they were coming from the same place, but Hermione could see the similarities in their eyes and tiny frames. Hermione watched the scene quietly, finally giving into her anxiety as she grasped the stem of the wine glass. She inhaled deeply, taking in the sweet scent as quietly as she could to calm her nerves and give her something to do, before taking a drink. The wine was crisp and sweet and Hermione didn't mind it.

"Theo, darling."

The blonde witch softly said. Blaise stood up as well, not as quickly as Theo, but he walked towards the pair to give the same peck on the cheeks as Theo did to both witches. Purebloods. Hermione thought to herself. No one else around them would have such proper manners; Hermione noticed the tension that seemed to transpire – both wizards were tense.

"Daphne, Astoria."

Blaise said, coolly and shortly. He stood behind Theo, his hands in his pockets while Theo let his left arm linger on Daphne's back.

"Blaise."

The blond witch named Daphne said while the one named Astoria chose to stay quiet, smiling at the pair. Hermione was sure they shared classes with them at Hogwarts, but she couldn't quite place them. If Blaise and Theo knew them, they had to be Slytherins, and Hermione barely spoke to her female Gryffindor companions, much less Slytherins. Theo cleared his throat, dropping his hand from Daphne, and turned to Harry and herself. Was he nervous? Theo interrupted Hermione's thoughts as he looked at her then Harry.

"You all know Harry Potter and Hermione Granger."

The brown-haired wizard finally introduced them. Harry had the good sense to follow the Pureblood wizards' manners and stood up from his seat; however, rather than kissing the witches, he shook their hands. Hermione tried to stifle a smirk that rose to her lips as she watched her friend; while Harry was forced to interact with a multitude of different magical beings, he never abided by Pureblood strict manners. Hermione then stood too when Harry was done shaking Astoria's hand. She leaned over Harry, choosing to shake their hands as well. They both had small hands, delicate and soft with perfectly manicured fingers. Hermione could see the slight confusion at the way they introduced themselves, but the witches didn't say anything.

"Daphne Greengrass and my younger sister, Astoria Greengrass."

Daphne finally introduced herself to Hermione and Harry. She smiled with her lips and not her eyes as she motioned to herself then the girl behind her.

"Pleasure."

Harry said and before Hermione could mimic his response, Astoria leaned towards her, over Daphne and over Harry. Hermione eyed the girl incredulously. She could see how Harry tried to avoid physical contact and Daphne glaring at her younger sibling.

"The Hermione Granger? Gryffindor's Golden Girl?"

She asked. Her hazel eyes bore into Hermione and Hermione internally flinched at the nickname. Hermione leaned away as Harry outwardly cringed for her, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head at what Astoria had said. Hermione cleared her throat, noticing the way Theo avoided Daphne's eyes and how Blaise wanted to catch them.

"I'm not too sure about the golden bit, but I am Hermione Granger."

She answered, offering a weary smile at the enthusiastic witch before her. Hermione wasn't a stranger to fans; she just didn't expect them to show up at her lunch with her friends – especially not here and especially not for her. Harry usually got them when out in public, not her. Astoria laughed and Hermione forced herself not to react, unsure if she thought she was being funny or just plainly laughing at her.

"What a delight. I am surprised to see you in the company of these two though."

Astoria motioned to Theo and Blaise. Both wizards froze up at the implication and Hermione rose her eyebrow, wondering at the witch meant.

"You must excuse us, I'm on a short lunch."

Hermione finally stated, sitting down as she waited for the interrupted guests to leave. She could see how awkwardly Harry stood away from the pair and the glaring match that was going on between the three Slytherins. Hermione had enough, she just wanted to eat. Fortunately, Daphne took Hermione's cue and stopped eyeing Theo and glaring at Blaise. She cut off her younger sister before she could say anything else.

"It was a pleasure, Theo, Blaise, Potter, Granger."

Daphne said, nodding at the latter and giving a quick peck on the cheek to the former. Astoria followed her sister's suit but again chose to stay silent. As soon as they appeared, they left to their own table, thankfully at the end of the restaurant, and out of Hermione's view. Hermione waited for the wizards to sit before asking any questions. However, before she could open her mouth to speak, their food arrived by two tuxedo-dressed waiters. Hermione sighed in relief at the sight and smell of her pasta. Soon, all four of them were digging into their food, a quiet falling over them while the soft buzz of distant conversation came from all around. Finally, Theo cleared his throat. He placed his fork and knife down on his plate while Hermione chewed on her sweet squash spaghetti.

"Sorry for that."

He apologized for the Greengrass witches intrusion. Harry stopped eating to nod at Theo while Blaise chose to not comment, still biting onto his beautifully colored pizza.

"Who are they?"

Hermione couldn't help to ask, utensils still in hand. She didn't mean to pry but she couldn't avoid the way the pair reacted to the pair of Greengrasses.

"Daphne and Astoria are former Slytherins. Daphne was in our year and Astoria is one year younger than us."

Theo explained. The short explanation was enough for her as she nodded as well, excusing the manners of their former classmates. She was sure they were Purebloods and while most public blood purity had been silenced, Hermione knew the Sacred Twenty-Eight had their own opinions. They might have different opinions than Theo and Blaise. And what opinions do they have? Hermione quietly asked herself, twirling spaghetti around her fork. She didn't miss the way Blaise tensed up and how Theo seemed desperate to catch Daphne's eyes. However, Hermione didn't want to waste more time talking about people she didn't care about and she knew her hour was almost up from her lunch. She turned her attention back to the rest of her delicious meal. However, before she could take another bite, Theo added,

"Daphne is my ex-fiancée and Astoria is Draco's."