Okay, don't kill me. I know I shouldn't be starting another fic so soon but I couldn't help it. I got the idea for this and I couldn't stop myself. Don't worry, I'm still going to be writing on all of my fics. But I decided to put Keep Me Sane on hiatus just for a little while. It will be finished. I promise.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters and no money is being made for me writing this fic. Also, I got the idea for the name of the fic from the ABC Family movie See Jane Date. This fic isn't the same storyline though.
See Hermione Date
Chapter 1: What is with that lettuce?
Hermione sat across from the blond haired guy that she was on a date with. She was pretending to be listening to him talk but she just couldn't take her eyes, or her concentration, off the little piece of lettuce that had set up camp right between his two front teeth.
She rested her chin on her right hand and sat her elbow on the table. She nodded politely as he babbled on continuously in a monotonous tone.
"…Of course, I'm the best on the team," he said in his deep, pompous voice. "Some people say the Seeker is the most valuable player but," he jabbed his thumb into his chest, "I say the Chasers are. Especially if they are as good as me…"
Hermione nodded again without taking in a single word that he was saying.
What is with that lettuce? she thought as she continued to stare at his white teeth. His voice was just a humming in her ears. Can't he feel it? There is no way he doesn't know it's there. I mean, it's just so big and like right there. I'm about to take this fork and wrench it out. Maybe that'll shut him up. I can't believe I agreed to go out with this guy. He's so…
"Hermione!"
Hermione blinked and looked up. He smiled at her as if he hadn't noticed she'd been spacey. The lettuce was more noticeable than ever. "Do you want to go for a walk?"
Hermione sighed and looked at her watch. She had to think up an excuse and quick. "Um, Greg…oh, gee, it's…ah, nine o' clock. I have to get up really, really early in the morning so I think I should just go home."
Greg looked put out but quickly pushed a smile on his face; the little green intruder sticking out. "Right…well, how about I walk you home?"
Hermione frowned. She couldn't think of any excuse to keep him from coming with her. So she smiled politely and nodded. They walked down the street. Hermione tried to concentrate on the ground so she wouldn't have to talk to Greg anymore than necessary. The wind brushed past them and blew through Hermione's bushy hair. She sighed. It felt so good in the heat of the summer night.
Greg talked the entire time they walked to her apartment building. His deep voice hummed annoyingly in her ears. The only interruptions were the clicking of her shoes on the sidewalk and the distant voices of the other people out for the night.
When they'd finally, to Hermione's extreme relief, reached her building she turned to him and cut him off in mid-sentence.
"Well, Greg," she said with a fake, polite smile, "I had a…thanks for taking me out to dinner. It was nice." She felt she shouldn't lie since she'd already been untruthful about having to get up early the next morning. What she'd just said was the truth. The dinner had been lovely. It had been the company that had been arrogantly irritating.
Greg nodded. He was inching his way toward Hermione slowly. Oh God, she thought disgustedly, trying not to screw up her face in revulsion. He does not think I'm giving him a goodnight kiss. There is no way in hell!
Greg was now an inch from her face with his eyes closed and his lips puckered out. Hermione pulled a face, took a step back, and reluctantly pecked Greg on the cheek. His eyes opened and he looked disappointed.
She walked quickly toward the door, "Goodnight," she said quickly. She reached the door and didn't turn around. She did not want this guy to know what number apartment she lived in so she was trying to keep him from inviting himself upstairs.
"I'd like to see you again," he said right as she reached the door. Hermione bit her lower lip in frustration. With her hand still on the door handle she turned around and said as fast as she could, "You are a very nice guy, and it was kind of you to invite me to dinner but I just don't feel anything between us and I feel it would be a waste of my time and your money for us to see each other again. I'm sorry. Goodnight."
And before he could retaliate Hermione ran into the building and shut the door hurriedly. She leaned against the door and closed her eyes. She couldn't believe it. That had been the third horribly disastrous date she'd been on in the past two weeks.
She climbed the two flights of stairs up to the apartment she shared with Ginny. She opened the door without having to unlock it. She walked through the small kitchen to the slightly bigger living room to find Harry and Ron sitting on the floor around the coffee table playing cards with her roommate.
"Back so soon?" Ginny asked, taking a sip of her butterbeer.
"Yeah," Hermione said, miserably plopping down onto the chair that was parallel with the table. She slipped off her shoes and sighed. "Never, am I ever going to date another Quidditch player," she said. "He had to be the most conceited person I'd ever met. He kept talking about himself. That's all he talked about."
"Wow, Hermione," Ron said with a grin. "That's two Quidditch players you driven away and you're only twenty."
"Oh, shut up," she snapped. "I didn't drive either of them away. They drove me away. And Viktor was quite nice, I just didn't feel the same about him and he kept trying to move too fast. Anyway, Viktor was a professional Quidditch player and wasn't as petty and vain. This guy was a pretty boy."
"Yeah, and Krum was a great ugly oaf," Ron said.
"He was not!" Hermione said, chucking a potato chip at her friend from the bowl on the table.
"Fine, fine," Ron said laughing.
"You know what, Hermione?" Ginny said smiling. "I'm going to set you up with this guy at my work. He's very cute, and nice."
Ron turned and glared at his sister.
"I don't know…" Hermione answered hesitantly.
"Come on," Ginny insisted. "He's great and he's really sweet."
"Okay, okay," Hermione said sighing. "But if I have to listen to him ramble on about how great he is at filing papers at the Ministry while having to focus on a piece of food in his teeth, I swear I'll strangle the red out of your hair."
Ginny laughed. She got up and went to kitchen. Ron stared furiously after her. Hermione went to her room which was to the right off the living room. She changed into a night shirt and her favorite pajama bottoms which had tiny spell books on them. She sat down in the floor next to Ron and began shuffling the cards. Ginny returned with a new bottle of butterbeer for herself and a bottle for Hermione.
"So, how's your dating life, Harry?" Hermione asked rearranging her hand of cards that Ginny had just dealt her. Harry blushed slightly and stared at his cards.
"Pretty non-existent," he coughed.
Crookshanks made his over to Hermione from her bedroom and climbed into her lap so he could curl up.
Ginny began the game and sat a card down. "How's work, Ron?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Fine," he said. "It's kind of boring. All I do is stand there all day is sell stuff in Fred and George's shop."
"Well, you didn't have to work there," Hermione said, taking a card from the deck and scratching Crookshanks behind the ears. He purred happily.
"Where else was I going to work?" Ron asked.
"You could've worked anywhere!" she answered. "You're grades were decent. You could've at least got a job at the Ministry."
"Anything's better than that!" Ron said. "I'd die of boredom."
"Hey!" Ginny yelled defensively. "It's not that bad."
"Well, no," Ron said. "But I would be more bored there than I am at the shop. At least at the joke shop I can do whatever I want when I'm not stocking or when I don't have customers."
Hermione sighed. "You could do so much better than that, Ron."
"So, I keep hearing from you and my mum…repeatedly," he retorted.
"Well, we're right!"
Ron rolled his eyes. "Not all of us can work in St. Mungo's," he said.
"You could if you wanted to," she said.
"I'm hungry," Ron stated abruptly bringing the argument to an end, putting down his cards.
"You're always hungry," Ginny murmured.
Hermione got up and went to the kitchen. She found some brownies and brought them to the living room. Ron smiled when he saw them.
"Thanks," he mumbled thickly through a mouthful as he bit into one.
"You're welcome," she answered.
She sipped on her butterbeer and stared across the room. I hope this guy Ginny's setting me up with is better than the jerk I was with tonight, she thought.
Hermione tapped her fork rhythmically on her plate. She was sitting alone at a table for two. It was Saturday afternoon (a week since her horrid date with Mr. I'm-the-best-Quidditch-player-in-the-world) and she was waiting on Ginny's co-worker, Parker, was supposed to meet her for their lunch date. She looked at her watch for what seemed like the millionth time. He was already fifteen minutes late. Hermione decided that if he didn't show up in the next five minutes she was going to leave.
As soon as she was about to get up a slender man with very neat black hair walked up and sat down. He placed a brief case on the floor next to him and sat down. He stuck out his hand and said, "You're Hermione, right?"
She nodded as she shook his hand.
"I am terribly sorry I'm so late," he said. "I felt so bad but I got caught up at work. At times like these I wish witches and wizards used cell phones."
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "How do you--"
"I'm a Muggle-born," he answered before she finished his question. He smiled.
"Oh, really?" Hermione asked grinning. "I am too!"
"Well, we already have something in common," he said, smiling.
Hermione examined Parker's delicate features. He's really quite cute, she thought. And Ginny didn't lie; he's very nice and sweet.
The waiter came up to their table and took their orders. Hermione had a good feeling about Parker.
Please review and tell me what you think. If I don't get many people who like it I won't continue it. Thanks!