Thanks to Mischief. Mangaged .1998 for betaing this for me :)

Oh god, she had just agreed to go out with him! What if it all fell apart? What had she done? Panic once again flooded her senses and she had to grab onto the counter to keep from falling down. The forward action caused her eyes to fall upon the flowers still sitting in the sink and she felt her heart flutter at the sight. The panic that had just overwhelmed her faded ever so slightly, clearing her mind, allowing her to think.

She had agreed to go out with Oliver. He had come after her even though she'd left him at his flat, alone and covered in baking ingredients. He had pursued her, he had clearly shown his interest.

She could act on hers.

She liked Oliver, she openly admitted it now. She wanted to go out with him, she wanted to date him. She wanted more than friendship with him.
All she could do was try. Yes, there was a chance he would break her heart, but he was worth the risk. Besides, she couldn't very well stay single the rest of her life just because there was a chance of getting hurt. She needed to get over the fear, or at least get past it.

She was quite certain Oliver could help her with that. She'd always enjoyed spending time with him, more than she probably should have, honestly. She left the kitchen with a smile on her lips and a vase filled with daisies. She set the pretty arrangement on her bedside table so she could fall asleep looking at it.

-o-O-o-

Hermione woke up feeling happy and well rested, it wasn't until she saw the flower arrangement that she realized why she was so happy.

Oliver.

Just thinking the word seemed to make her happier.

She went through her day in the same sort of happy daze, barely taking in her boss's instructions or the report she was supposed to be editing. For the first time in her life Hermione Granger's brain had been outspoken by her heart, and she was more than content to let it stay that way for
at least a little while.

Her panic caught up with her when she went to her wardrobe. She had no idea what to wear. She didn't know what people usually wore to the pub, she'd never been. Would jeans be too casual?

Should she go for a cocktail dress?

It took her an hour to decide, and another hour and a half to get completely ready. It was dangerously near to seven. She was just putting the finishing touches on her hair when she heard a knock at her door. She took a deep breath, performed a fresh-breath charm on herself, and opened the door.

He was wearing dark red dress robes that brought out the slightly red strands in his brown hair. The robes were loose fitting, but they still showed off his well built upper body, causing Hermione's eyes to stray from his smiling face for a moment.

"You look beautiful,"

"You look smashing." They laughed as they both spoke at the same time.

"Thank you." She said, smiling as she beckoned him inside her flat. He stepped in and handed her flowers she hadn't realized he'd been holding. They were lilacs, bright, happy, and smelled wonderful.

"Thank you!" She said again, going to the kitchen. He followed after her, making light conversation about their day as she put them in a vase. Once she had them settled on her dining table she turned back to him, smiling shyly.

"So, shall we head to the pub?"

He fidgeted slightly, making her feel instantly anxious. His eyes dropped to the floor and he swallowed, making her feel certain that he was about to cancel on her.

"I mean, we don't-"

"I was wondering if ye would be terribly upset if ah took ye somewhere else instead."

"We're not going to the pub?"

"Nae, I've had a better idea, if ye don't mind someplace a little more…private?" he held his hand out towards her, offering her the chance to take it, or the chance to tell him no.

"Umm, no, that sounds lovely, actually." she shyly took the proffered hand and closed her eyes as he twisted into the air, apparating them away from the apartment. They reappeared someplace dark, and it took Hermione's eyes an impossibly long moment to adjust. When they finally did she realized that Oliver had taken to her to a quiet, abandoned field. She couldn't see any houses around, and it was extremely quiet.

The night sky was vibrant though, she could see the stars clearly, the hundreds of stars that were invisible from her flat in Diagon Alley were clear in the empty field, far away from the interrupting lights of the city.

It was beautiful.

"I hope ye donnae mind." Oliver said slowly, drawing her attention away from the night sky and back to him. Her smile apparently gave him the answer he wanted because he beamed back at her a moment later. He took her hand in his and led her forward to a blanket he had laid out. There was a picnic basket beside it and another blanket incase it got cold. They sat next together and he served her the food. They had cheese and ham sandwiches, fruit salad, and butterbeers. He'd been a little worried that she wouldn't think it was nice enough, but she couldn't have enjoyed herself anymore.

He leaned down after they finished eating, and she laid next to him, her head resting against his chest and her body pointing at a ninety degree angle away from him. He pointed out the different constellations, telling her stories about each of them, and why he liked them.

"Gemini, it makes me think of Fred and George. The first time they found out there was a twin constellation they charmed the ceiling of the Common Room to show it."

"Canis Major, me dad had an encounter with a bear once when he was camping. He stuck all of the lads and lasses in the tent while he got rid of it, but we all snuck to the entrance to see what the commotion was."

She found herself laughing at some of his colorful explanations, and his easy manner had her smiling the entire time. she couldn't remember why she had ever been nervous. She actually found herself lamenting when he took her back to her flat.

"I guess I'll see ya tomorrow for the bake off?" He asked, standing in the doorway with a hopeful smile. She nodded her head, her own smile large and happy.
"Yes, I guess you will. We have to show the others up, anyway." She stepped towards him and leaned up on her tip toes before pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.

-o-o-o-

"Yeah, Katie and Angelina folded out, the chickens!" Fred called happily from his stand. They were in the middle of Diagon Alley, each with a baked goods stand.
Fred and George had made Cauldron Cakes, Lee and Alicia a chocolate filled pasty, Harry and Ron had made pies (Hermione suspected that Mrs. Weasley had helped), Ginny and Luna had made cakes, and Hannah and Neville had made cookies like Hermione and Oliver.

Each group had set up their stations and set out their baked goods. Each item was two knuts, and each customer would be encouraged to vote for their favorite desert. The friends were all in good spirits, and quite a bit of smack talk had been spread around.

"They did not 'fold out,' Frederick." Hermione said reprovingly, shaking her head. Her use of his full name earned a 'ooh' from Lee, George, and Oliver. Harry, Ron, and Ginny laughed, while Alicia looked amused, Luna looked oblivious, and Fred looked slightly wary. "Katie came down with Dragon Pox and Angelina is keeping her cousin."

"Yes, they chickened out." Lee said with a wink, laying a fresh plate of pasties out. Hermione was straightening up her own workspace, keenly aware of how close Oliver was to her. She had originally been annoyed at how small the stands were, but now she found them quite enjoyable.

"What was that?" Ginny asked from the stand across from theirs.

"Hmm?" Hermione said, hoping that if she played ignorant Ginny would drop it. She really should have known better, her friend wasn't really known for dropping anything, ever.

"That look you both just shared." She replied quickly, her eyes darting from Oliver to Hermione.

"What look?" Oliver asked, leaning forward and propping himself up by his arms on the table top. "I wasnae aware of any looks."

"Wait, are you two-"George started, only to be cut off by Fred.

"You are!"

"Nice, it's about bloody time!"

"I didn't think you had it in you."

"We're so proud!" Hermione was blushing a bright red and Oliver was giving his two friends a very pointed glare.

"Wait, what's going on?" Ron asked, causing Hermione to blush even brighter when she saw the grin on Harry's face. "You and Oliver?"

"How did you miss that?" The others asked, making Ron blush and Hermione laugh. Oliver wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close to his side.

"I've been wondering how we missed it." He murmured to her before pressing a quick kiss to her cheek. She smiled back at him and wrapped her arm around him. She picked a cookie from the platter up and looked at it, smiling at the dark chocolate.

"I don't know, I think we just needed to fudge it a little."

He laughed at that and took a bite of the cookie before she could react. He swallowed the mouthful and then pressed a kiss to her lips, wrapping his own arms around her waist. He still tasted like Double Fudge cookies, and, Hermione decided, that really was her favorite flavor. It suited her favorite guy quite well.

Her mom was right, chocolate could solve any problem.

A/N: I really can't apologize enough for how late this is, I'm so sorry! This is the last chapter though :) I hope you all enjoy it!