Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Hermione placed the book Snape had lent her on her desk, slipping the sealed envelope in between the first page and cover. He had told her not to open and read the letter unless she was desperate. Her curiosity over what it contained had already caused one corner to curl from her picking at it, but she had promised. And she kept her promises.

Searching through her wardrobe, Hermione grabbed a pair of jeans and some underwear, quickly pulling them on. Glancing at her selection of tops, she decided to keep Snape's shirt on; it smelt of him and so was a comfort for what she was about to face.

Twisting her hair into a knot, she used her wand to keep it in place, before taking a last look at her room. The light pink walls, cuddly toys and frills were such a regression into her childhood, she would be both sad and happy when it was over and she was in her marriage bed. Shaking herself out of her melancholic state, she slipped a pair of trainers on and walked downstairs. Her parents were still at the surgery, and she felt bad about leaving again without seeing them, but there were several different things that she had to see to before she could relax at home again.

Wrapping her cloak around her, she Apparated to the Burrow. The boys would be expecting her.

***

The news of her intention to marry so soon had Molly Weasley in a fluster. Hermione had to keep ducking from the amount of things flying around as all the chores were done through magic. Normally against such things, when something this big took over Molly's priorities, she pushed everything to the back burner and used the thankful excuse of releasing her excess energy on her magic usage.

Hermione had tried to convince her that Ron was not going to be the ideal man for the job. Best friend or not, they had tried dating, being together and thinking of the future, but they were just too different. It wouldn't work, and after figuring it out, they had agreed it was all for the best, and at least they still had their friendship. Molly, on the other hand, was a lot harder to convince. Apparently, she had already made plans for Ron and Hermione's wedding before they had ever officially announced they were together.

"Mum, I love Hermione as a friend. You're going to make her upset. It's her decision." Ron had surprised her with his support throughout the afternoon, with him repeating phrases like this on and off.

It took hours before they managed to come to a compromise, with Hermione and Ron agreeing to go on a date to 'make sure' that there was nothing there. Molly sat there smugly as they prepared to go out, and Hermione had to fight the urge to roll her eyes at her behaviour.

"Enjoy yourselves, dears. Arthur and I won't wait up." Giving them a wink, Molly went back in the Burrow, closing the door quietly behind her.

"I'm sorry, Mione." Ron wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You know how she gets."

"It's okay, let's just get this over and done with, and hopefully she'll be happy. At least we can enjoy it without her watching over us." And with a grin, they both Disapparated.

***

As they waited for their meals to arrive, Hermione tried to ignore the awkwardness, but eventually, she felt the need to address it. "You know it's not going to happen, right? That I love your family and you… but just not in that way."

"I know, Hermione. Don't let what my mum said bother you, I know you don't feel that way. And rest assured, neither do I." Ron sighed. "I'm just here to please my mother and to keep her off both of our backs."

She smiled. "I'm glad we're still on the same page, then."

"Of course." Ron smiled back at her and gave Hermione's hand a squeeze before folding his arms in front of him. "We are going to have to come up with something to tell her, though."

"I know." Hermione shook her head and reached for her water just as a shadow fell across their table. As she looked up, she saw Lavender Brown move in to slap Ron.

"So this is why you couldn't come out with me tonight? You were going out with your whore!"

"Hey! She's not a whore; it's Hermione." Ron stood up so quickly his chair fell backwards. He grabbed Lavender's wrist before she could slap him again. "You're making a scene, sweetheart."

"Don't 'sweetheart' me!" Lavender screeched. "I'm not the one cheating!"

"Lavender." Hermione stood up slowly. "I'm not here as anything other than a friend. We're just here because we're trying to get Mrs Weasley off our backs, so please don't worry… you can join us if you wish."

It was as if the wind had dropped and was taken out of her sails. Lavender sagged against Ron and laid her head against his shoulder. "Okay, that would be nice."

Ron waved over a waiter, who quickly brought over a chair and set it down beside Ron's place. "There you go, sweetheart. You sit down there and we'll talk." Turning to the waiter, he scowled. "Can you bring the lady some water and a menu, please?" The waiter nodded and hurried off.

***

Overall, the meal had turned out to be a pleasant affair. After explaining everything to Lavender, she promised to help her, as well as apologising for interrupting them and calling Hermione a whore.

Not really knowing what else to do, she graciously accepted all the help that was offered to her. Snape was good, but, well, he was a man, and there were only so many things she was willing to talk to him about. Especially when it led to accidental events like the previous night; it was something she knew she would be teased about for a long time to come. And she was sure her future husband would not approve of such a close relationship and possibly even ask for a Pensieve to prove that nothing had actually happened that night.

Settling into bed that night, she fell asleep without a frown on her face, although whether that was from Lavender's advice or from Snape's, she wasn't sure and didn't really care to contemplate which.