The Other Half is Luck

That weekend, Hermione decided to join Ginny and some of the other girls for a night out at the pub, since winter in London was dreary enough without spending all day at work and all night at home. Waterproofing her suede boots with a quick spell, Hermione caught a glimpse of herself in the hall mirror. There were some benefits to living with Ginny, she thought as her reflection saucily winked at her. The frizz of her youth had been replaced by shiny waves, and she had finally learned (oh, ok, been taught) how to apply eye makeup properly. She looked well- not like she was trying too hard, but good enough to attract attention at the pub. At least, she hoped so.

‘H, you ready?’ Ginny shouted from her room. Hopping out with one heeled boot on her foot and the other in her hand, Ginny caught sight of Hermione in the hall and smiled. ‘Looking to bring someone home?’ She teased.

‘Shut it, Gin, you know I need a date for your wedding.’

‘That’s months away! Tonight we are just going to have fun. But still, you look like a right babe- I’d bring you home…’ She leered at Hermione and winked saucily. Hermione rolled her eyes and pulled their coats out of the cupboard, tossing Ginny’s towards her face. Laughing, the two girls stepped out into the cold and apparated to the pub.

Luna Lovegood was already waiting for them, and making googly eyes at the bartender. ‘Hello Ginny, Hermione,’ she greeted them without taking her eyes off the bartender for a moment.

‘Hiya Luna. Nargle infestation?’

‘Perhaps. I find myself unable to avoid watching the barman.’

‘Luna, you always watch the barman. Maybe you should just ask him out already!’ Ginny poked her in the arm, but Luna was absorbed in watching him pull a pint. Ginny rolled her eyes at Hermione.

Two of Hermione’s law school friends showed up next, followed by a gaggle of Ginny’s MERLIN classmates, making their table not only the warmest, but the loudest as well. To assist Luna with her barman obsession/nargle infestation, they sent her to the bar for the first round. If Luna were capable of blushing, she would have been when she came back to the table with nothing but an empty shot glass in her hand, greeted as she was by a round of whistling and cheering. Still, being Luna, she sat serenely and accepted the teasing with good grace. Hermione called over the waitress, and the girls all placed their orders.

A few hours later, their table was being visited with some frequency by the men in the bar, who flirted and laughed as Ginny’s friends told them about the time that one of them had accidentally charmed her hair on fire. One of the lads was an attractive blond who kept looking at Hermione from under his lashes. Hermione couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was something sexy about the wizard, something that through the firewhiskey haze seemed to remind her of something. Throwing that thought aside, Hermione decided to accept his invitation to his flat.

She bid goodnight to Ginny and the rest of the girls, who cheered as she announced she was leaving with the blond. What was his name? Something with an M, maybe? Hermione didn’t really worry about it as one of the girls yelled ‘Nice pull, Hermione!’ and she waved regally at them before turning to leave with the blonde.

He waited until they got outside of the pub before kissing her. Pulling her under the cover of the overhanging roof, she could tell he was drunk too as he tried to kiss her mouth and got her nose instead. They laughed, and he placed her directly in front of him, pretending to measure her position. She looked him in the eyes, and saw them sparkle. She didn’t know if it was the alcohol or something else, but she kissed him hard at that moment, grabbing his shoulders and launching herself at him.

‘Merlin, Hermione, you’re gorgeous!’ He exclaimed when she broke the kiss.

‘You’re not half bad yourself,’ she replied, still trying to remember what his name was, and not to let him know she’d forgotten. ‘Still, I think apparating is a bad idea in this state.’ He nodded in agreement.

‘My flat isn’t too far from here. You ok with a muggle taxi?’ She smiled at him, and he whacked his forehead. ‘What am I asking? Known muggleborn, and I wonder if she’s ok with a taxi!’ He rolled his eyes at himself, and as Hermione laughed, she wondered if he was a pureblood. No, she thought to herself, but then again, what do I care! The War had been awful, but Hermione never forgot how much worse it could have been, and how lucky she had been at the end of the day. Bugger it if she wasn’t going to enjoy the world she had gone through so much to preserve!

The blond man hailed a taxi with a sharp whistle, something that Hermione had always wished she could do. He opened the door for her with a flourish, and she curtseyed as she ungracefully shimmied into the back of the cab. He followed with only a bit more grace, and the first jostle of the taxi threw them closer together. Unable to resist, they started kissing each other greedily, and didn’t stop until the taxi driver loudly cleared his throat and announced (for what sounded like the second or third time) that they had arrived at their destination. Hermione reached for her walled, but her companion beat her to the punch and handed the driver a crisp 20 pound note. For some reason that escaped her totally, Hermione was impressed that he had muggle money. She threw that thought away, however, and followed the blond into his building and up the stairs to his flat.

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Oho, the plot thickens! Please read and review!