Teach Me How to Love You (A Hermione Granger Love Story)

TMHTLY (A Hermione Granger Love Story) ... 6

A/N: [Edited 1/29/2016] This is where things start to diverge from the original version.

Teach Me How to Love You (A Hermione Granger Love Story)

Chapter 6: Help from the Unhelpful

"Luna! Luna Lovegood! I need help," I say, breathe panting heavily. I got back to my dorm later that same day, hoping that she would be there. I had a date with Caden Bone tomorrow morning. He's a guy that made my palms sweat and my heart pound. I could have a real shot with him, unlike—

I shake that trailing thought from my head.

I knew nothing about dating. Ronald and I had never officially gone out. The only proper date we had gone on was the Winter Ball. I could hardly count that as I hadn't seen him for about half the night. To focus my excess energy into something, I decide to find an outfit. It was a safe thing to obsess about as I try to forget dark skin and blazing eyes.

When Luna never responds, I open my trunk with a clunk against the end of my bed. I dig through every possible outfit, having to take out stack after stack of books. In the end, there were four possible combinations that seemed reasonable. It took five extra minutes of staring at them to go and ask Luna again.

"Luna?" I enquire again. She's sitting at the foot of her bed, feet dangling to the floor. She got a book crooked between her legs. The moving pages were visible from across the room. It was a fairytale book I loaned her last week. "I'm thinking maybe one of these four?"

"I really wouldn't know, Hermione-dear. Perhaps you should ask a professional." She promptly stands, her face settled in a cool expression. Her book is set down on her bed. She leaves in an air of peace, placing a note on my bed as she passes.

My name was scrawled in Luna's familiar sloppy yet graceful print.

Hermione,

I heard of your later arrangements with Caden! So proud of you for not fainting! I took this opportunity to set you up with Blaise. He knows so much about fashion these days. Be nice, he'll help you!

Moon Frogs,

Luna Lovegood

PS: Blaise'll be waiting for you in the Tower at 9, remember a jacket!

I stand in silence. The plain white note is held lightly in my fingers. It falls when I crumple into the bed, head against an end post. My eyes close involuntarily as I deep sigh. This is just like Luna. She's trying to help us get over our "differences" by forcing us to be together. Things like this make me love her to bits sometimes. Now it just not the time for her antics. She probably even thought it was funny since he had offered to help me with my love life.

Another sigh led me to grabbing a bag, carefully fold all four choices, and beginning to head towards the Tower. If my only option was to ask my archenemy, I might as well go prepared.

------------| Blaise's POV |------------

I'd been pacing across the Tower for roughly twenty minutes having arrived earlier than intended. Growling, I shove my nervous fists in my pockets. This was stupid.

Loony placed a bet saying Granger would show. She was usually right about Granger related things. It blew my mind that she wanted me to help Granger score with this prat Bone, but I found myself doing it without question. I had jokingly offered today in the Library not to mention my curiousity.

There stood Granger, her hair was as unruly as ever, her Gryffindor scarf blowing in the wind, and her ridiculous underwater sponge pajama bottoms glowing under the light of the stars. Her eyes as well, shining with only determination and a no-nonsense ice. Ten Galleons down the drain, another bet lost to Luna.

I nodded at her, pretending to go back to starlit night viewing. She huffs dramatically. Out of the corner of my eye, she swings a messenger bag over her right shoulder and stomps over to me. I tense involuntarily, hands once again clamming. When I thought she'd pummel me to death with the bag, she simply holds it out and open.

"Which do you like best? I have four picked out but I really think any of them would work."

There's a silence as I stare into her serious expression. When I take too long to answer, she shakes the bag a bit. It causes me to look down at the contents. She'd folded them neatly, trying to separate them into four sections. Each sections was an astonishing color pallet all its own. I prod at a few. Cotton, denim, silk.

"I'll only help you if you do something for me, Granger." It's said matter-of-fact, luckily without an changes in tone, with my fingers feeling a soft fabric blue dress.

Her curt nod is all I get in return.

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Love and fireworks,

unique-goddess