Mistaken Love

At around five till seven, Hermione apparated to the Leaky Cauldron to meet George. She checked the front desk and they informed her that no Weasleys had signed in yet.

Hermione sat down at an empty table and waited. About two minutes later, George put his hands over her eyes. "Guess who?"

"Hello, George," Hermione said, peeling his hands off of her face.

"How did you guess?" George said, sitting down in the seat across from her.

"I guess I just have the Inner Eye," Hermione said joked, rolling her eyes.

"So, why did you ask me here?" George asked.

"Well, actually, it was Ginny who came up with the idea," Hermione told him. "She told Ron that I had a meeting for work."

"How convenient," George said with a grin.

"May I take you order?" the waitress asked, holding her pencil and notepad.

"I'll have a bottle of butterbeer," George said. The waitress jotted it down.

"And I'll have a Pumpkin Daiquiri," Hermione said. George gave her a confused look, to which she replied, "Yes, George, I do drink."

"Well, I think I'll have a Blushin' Russian," George said, raising an eyebrow at her. "I like to live life on the edge."

"I'll be back with your orders," the waitress said before leaving.

"Isn't that a bit strong?" Hermione asked George.

"Are you saying that I can't hold my liquor?"

"George, there's almost an ounce of vodka in that!" Hermione hissed.

"I can take it," George said, rolling his eyes.

"Yea, we'll see about that when you're lying on the floor, passed out from drunkenness," Hermione said, shaking her head.

"I promise I won't pass out," George said.

"Good, because all I want to do tonight is spend it with you," Hermione said, batting her eyelashes.

"What made Ginny change her mind?" George asked curiously.

"Let's just say that I had a little talk with her," Hermione said, grinning.

"Oh? About what?"

"Let's just say that if I told you, you wouldn't let her out of your sight ever again."

"I don't want to know," George agreed.

The waitress returned and set their drinks on the table. Hermione eyed George as he took a sip of his drink. His eyes widened and his face tensed.

"I told you it would be strong," Hermione said with a smirk as she took a sip of her daiquiri.

"Well excuse me for taking a risk," he sneered. "I'd like to see you drink it."

Hermione took the drink from George's side of the table and took a gulp.

Her eyes immediately began to water as the drink slipped down her throat.

George stared at her in awe, unable to say anything.

"Never again," Hermione managed to say after the initial shock of the flavor.

"I think I'm going to stick to butterbeers from now on," George told her.

"Good idea," Hermione said, taking a heaping gulp of her daiquiri to get rid of the flavor of the Blushin' Russian.

"So," George said, changing the subject. "What are the plans for tonight?"

"I thought we might look at the shops, walk down the street holding hands, dance..."

"All of the romantic stuff?" George assumed.

"Yes," Hermione said. "And then we could come back here for the night..." Hermione glanced at George, giving him an interesting look.

"That sounds like fun," George agreed with a grin.

Hermione finished her daiquiri and they headed off to browse the shops.

"Look!" Hermione said, pointing at an antique shop across the street from the Leaky Cauldron.

"It's just a bunch of old stuff, Hermione," George said, not interested at all in the antiques.

"George, have you ever been inside one of these stores?"

"No."

"C'mon," Hermione said, leading him inside.

They stepped inside the old store. "Hello, is there any way I can help you two?" the storeowner asked. He was an old man, probably about as old as Dumbledore, with a short beard and a bald head.

"No thanks," Hermione said. "We're just browsing."

Hermione lead George around the store, looking at the amazing pieces of art.

Hermione stopped in front of an old delicate porch swing that was hanging from the ceiling. She gently sat down on it and patted the spot next to her.

George sat down and started to rock it back and forth.

"This is beautiful," Hermione whispered.

"Yes, you are," George said, staring at her in amazement.

"You've read too many romance novels," Hermione said, hitting him playfully in the arm.

"I thought girls were supposed to like that," George pleaded.

"I'd rather you just kiss me and be done with it," Hermione said, puckering her lips.

"You look like a fish," George said with a chuckle.

"But a cute fish," Hermione said. "I'll make all the boy fish go, 'Blurp, Blurp, Blurp'."

George gently kissed her on the lips, but the storeowner quickly interrupted them. "Could you please get a room? I'm trying to run a business here."

Hermione blushed and apologised, leading George out of the store.

"I can't believe you got us in trouble like that!" Hermione yelled playfully.

"Me?" George exclaimed. "You asked me to kiss you!"

"You didn't have to," Hermione said.

"But how could I resist your fish face?" George teased.

"You couldn't," Hermione said, shaking her head and standing on her tiptoes to kiss him.

"Well, should we take his advice?" George asked.

"Yes, I believe we should," Hermione said as they headed back to the Leaky Cauldron, hand in hand.