Part VII Dinner Date

With and agitated flick of her wand, Hermione changed the color of her dress for the third time. Things had been progressing nicely since their spa day. They had spent all day yesterday on the rooftop reading in companionable silence and the day before he had even agreed to come with her to the beach, thought she still had not managed to get him into a bathing suit.

When he had asked her to have dinner with him at a nearby restaurant, Hermione had been inexplicably nervous. It wasn't like this was a date, she was the only person on the entire continent he knew, yet she couldn't seem to find a dress or hairstyle that was good enough and the butterflies in her stomach were performing daredevil aerials.

--

Severus smiled at his reflection and then grimaced at the foreign facial expression. What is wrong with you? Its dinner, like the dinner you had last night and the dinner you will have tomorrow.

He didn't know what had possessed him to ask the concierge to recommend the place. Perhaps it was because he felt desperately out of his element. Since they left Hogwarts seven days earlier there had not been a single thing he could do without some sort of assistance. It was maddening to be so far from his normal tight control.

--

A waiter in a white suit who smiled too fondly at Hermione showed them to a small red-topped table at the edge of the large dance floor. Severus pulled out Hermione's chair and she sank into it with a smile. Their eyes locked and it was a few moments before Severus could move, he took his seat across from her holding her gaze all the while.

"Can I get you anything from the bar?" The waiter asked, interrupting their moment.

"Pacific Sunrise for me thanks." Hermione said, turning her attention to their server.

Severus took a quick glance at the drink menu and made his selection, "Dead Nazi for me."

The waiter nodded and left to collect their drinks.

Hermione was smirking at him. "Yes?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Interesting drink choice."

"It's actually quite delicious; Albus introduced me to it in London last year."

Hermione laughed, "That's a sight I would have paid to see."

"What?"

"Albus, drinking shots in a London bar." She laughed again, "And for that matter, I would never have pictured you tolerating the experience for a moment, at least not before this trip."

The waiter, surprising Severus with his promptness, returned at that moment with their drinks. He set a shot glass filled with green liquid in front of Severus and a martini glass filled with blue slush and topped with a maraschino cherry in front of Hermione, who thanked him and gave him a generous tip.

Hermione took a sip of her drink, relishing the sweet refreshing taste. She looked over at Severus to find him looking with a suspicious expression at her bright blue drink. "Would you like to sample?" she asked, pushing the drink across the table.

Against his own impulses Severus took a sip of the proffered beverage. It was too sweet for his liking, but the crushed ice slid down his throat in a manner that was very soothing. He had to concede that her choice had been a good one even if the drink did look childish. "Not half bad" he admitted.

They finished their drinks in silence, each savoring the soothing effects of the alcohol.

"Would you care to dance?" Hermione asked when she had finished, eyeing the man in front of her with something akin to shyness.

Severus grinned inwardly. This would be the perfect time to stun her into silence and prove that he wasn't truly incompetent, only slightly, when it came to all things Muggle. He had yet to truly perform a skill better than her since they had left the safety of Hogwarts and Britain, but the dancing skills he had honed for years would make that not only possible, but easy. "If you wish," he said standing an offering his hand.

Hermione was grinning inwardly as well. She hadn't danced with a decent partner since her parents had forced her to take ballroom and Latin dance lessons eight years earlier and if Severus were competent it would make for a very enjoyable evening. They had been getting along reasonably well this trip, despite the many doubts she had struggled with before they left, and she couldn't suppress the anticipatory tingle that formed in her stomach at the thought of his arms around her.

On the stage a ten part band was playing an upbeat Latin song. Couples dances with varying degrees of expertise and skill. The bright dresses of the women contrasted sharply with the dark formal attire of the men. Severus took Hermione's hand lightly in his own and they joined the crowded floor.

Though Hermione was looking forward to the dance she didn't want to intimidate Severus by proving a superior dancer so she resolved to keep her stance stiff and ignored the impulses that screamed through out her body for her to strut her stuff. She had been a better than decent dancer when she was young and the basics had never left her.

The band began a new song and Hermione stepped into Severus' arms. Her mind too preoccupied with not looking too confident to notice that that very same emotion she was avoiding was radiating from her partner.

With ease of long practice Severus took Hermione's hand in his and settled his hand on her waist and lead her through the basic step a few times before trying a turn. Her steps were perfect, but her posture was incredibly stiff. "It's ok to relax," he said, amused by her discomfort.

Hermione smiled tightly at him and asked once, "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

Severus smiled smugly, "Definitely."

"Alright then," Hermione let her instincts take over.

Severus spun her, a quick double turn and she was back in his arms, her posture perfect in every way, her basic step suddenly alive with the type of inner rhythm that made champions. Surprised by her seemingly newfound skill Severus stumbled, but she caught him deftly. "Careful there," She said with an irritatingly smug grin.

Severus scowled at her, "you didn't tell me you actually knew what you were doing," he said somewhat sulkily, his ego feeling like it had been sucker punched. She was good, really good. Damn! This was supposed to be the one thing in Florida he could do better than the no-longer-so-bushy-haired-know-it-all.

Hermione's returning smile was cheeky. "Neither did you, now come on lets show the Muggles how it's done."

The thought of being better at something Muggle than a Muggle seemed suddenly very appealing as he resumed his dancing stance. At least there was someone in the room who he could trounce. For once something his mother had forced him into "for his own good" was paying off.

The flared skirt of Hermione's knee-length white dress performed its own dance as Severus led Hermione through a series of complicated steps and moves, thrilled to find that their skill levels were equal. Most of the other dancers on the floor moved aside to let them dance, some couples even stopping to simply watch the show. This was definitely more fun than dancing with one of the 'nice girls from good families' his mother had been shoving at him for his entire adult life.

A/N: For your patience, I award you with two chapters!! Please review!

Alright so about those drinks… for those of you who don't know:

A pacific Sunrise is made up of : Tequila, Blue Curacao, Sour Mix, Bitters and Ice

And a Dead Nazi is: Green Creme de Menthe, Vodka, and Licorice Liqueur