Much to her relief, Hermione's final date with Bachelor #11 did not go quite as well as her previous two. 

She recalled Katie's smile as they had discussed the unknown man at the cafe earlier in the week. Hermione had to admit, she had felt deeply ashamed when Avril had read the pairings aloud to the whole group at The Choosing. She hadn't been able to look her friend in the eye, knowing she had chosen to date the same man her friend fancied. Katie had been forgiving, when she later apologised, but Hermione couldn't shake the feeling of regret. Thus, she had gone into the date feeling stoic, knowing full well that she would not be picking Mystery Man #11 at the next Choosing Ceremony, regardless of a connection. 

Luckily enough, Hermione hadn't felt the same spark with this man as she had with her two previous dates. She was immensly glad. Had the date gone well, it would have been much harder for her to let Bachelor #11 down.

"Hi." Hermione greeted the man, through the opaque glass. 

"Hi, how are you?" He said, with a warmth and friendliness that was unrivalled by her previous two dates. 

She couldn't help but smile. "I'm well, thank you. And you?" 

"I'm good, thanks." He said, politley. "How have you been since we last spoke?" 

Hermione shrugged, despite the fact that the Mystery couldn't see her. "I feel as though nothing has happened, and yet everything has changed at the same time." 

"Ooh." He said. "That's a loaded statement. It sounds as though you've met your match already." 

She tried to laugh it off. "Not exactly. I mean, I've met people I like but I wouldn't say they're marriage material just yet."

"Ouch." He gasped. "I'm wounded." 

The cheeriness had vacated the man's voice. He sounded more flat. It was awkward. Hermione squirmed slightly in her seat, stuttering for further conversation starters. 

"So, how are you finding it living back in the UK?" Hermione said, recalling what they had spoken about last time. 

This seemed to distract him. "Well, I've actually been back for over six months now. It was a little strange at first, but I feel as though I've gotten used to the constant rain and cold now."

"Was there anything you particularly missed about the UK, while you were gone?" She asked. 

He laughed. "Not to sound terribly stereotypical, but I did miss a good old cup of tea. My mum used to send me a care package every couple of months with tea bags, and homemade cakes and biscuits. But the customs are different abroad, you know?" 

Hermione understood. "Sometimes you try your best to fit in, but people think you're an ignorant foreigner anyway. I was really worried I would be unintentionally rude or offensive when I first moved to Paris." 

"Totally." The man said. "That's why I prefer animals over humans. It's much more difficult to offend them."

"You clearly never met my half-kneazle." Hermione laughed.

He seemed delighted. "You keep animals?" 

"No." Hermione said. "Crooks passed away. I didn't really have time for a pet at University. Theres no way I could keep one now, I work all the time." 

"Oh." The man deflated once more. "Are you interested in keeping animals?" 

"Not anymore." She sighed. "I've gotten used to living without them, I suppose. I couldn't cope with both children and animals in the same house." 

"I have enough siblings in my family to provide grandkids for my parents. I'm happy just being an uncle for now." Bachelor #11 told Hermione. 

It was a pretty big selling point, finding out whether the man you're dating wants to have children or not. Hermione had long decided that she wanted 2 children. For her, it was non-negotiable. For a brief moment, Hermione thought of Katie. She honestly had no idea whether Katie wanted children or not. She was still in the prime of her career. Would this revelation be a deal breaker for Katie, too? 

"So, do you work?" Hermione decided to smooth past the question. She was disappointed in his answer, but didn't want the date to go sour. 

The man seemed to notice, as there was a smooth pause before his answer. "I told you I travelled for work. I work with Magical Creatures. I started out as an apprentice. I got paid a pittance and received all of the awful jobs no one else wanted to do. But I worked my way up the ranks. Most recently, I helped set up a reserve for Magical Creatures in Romania. But I left that all behind to come back here." 

He sounded sad. Hermione could sense that this man had a kind heart. She thought he was brave, too. It was far too easy for students to slip into a job at The Ministry or St Mungos immediately after they left Hogwarts. There just weren't a variety of jobs available, unless you wanted to work in retail or go into teaching, neither of which suited Hermione. 

"I'm out of a job at the moment. I did some freelance work at Hogwarts a few weeks ago. There was an outbreak of...  I won't bore you with the details, but I managed to save the whole Thestral colony." He explained. 

Hermione could sense that he was genuinely happy with his job. "That sounds rewarding."

"Yeah, it is." He said. "It's not really what I want to do though. I want to work with dragons, like I did in Romania."

She couldn't help but gasp. "I've met a few dragons. Each to their own, but I definitely wouldn't want to work with them." 

The man seemed impressed. "I thought you were a nice, polite Ministry girl. Where have you met dragons?" He said, in a flirtatious voice. 

"I'd rather not say." Hermione said, chuckling at the man's audible disappointment. 

"If it's something to do with The Department of Mysteries, I understand. It's a shame though, dragons don't have the best reputation but they are fascinating." Bachelor #11 said. 

This amused Hermione. "You sound like a friend of mine." 

"Hagrid?"

"Yes!" She laughed. "I didn't know he was so famous."

The man seemed elated. "Come on, everybody who's been to Hogwarts knows that Hagrid has an obsession with inappropriate magical creatures. It's just a shame he only got promoted to Professor after I left."

Hermione shrugged. "He had well intentions but his lessons were a little disasterous, to be honest."

"So i've heard." He agreed. 

There was a lull in conversation. Hermione wondered just how big an age gap there was between the two. It had been over 3 years since she had left Hogwart's and she still looked on her time there with a fond smile. He seemed to do the same. Had they actually been at Hogwart's together and she hadn't known it? Perhaps he had left as she had arrived?

"Do you plan on staying in the UK?" He blurted out. 

Hermione didn't really have the time to process the question. "Um.." 

"It's okay. I know it's a really difficult question. The truth is, I'm beginning to miss travelling. There are so many more job opportunities for me abroad. Of course, I came home to be with my family, but I dont think I can bear to stay here. But since it's likely that I'm going to get married in the coming weeks, I have to take my future wife's views into account as well." He babbled. 

Hermione had regained her sensibilities. "I never imagined myself travelling. I know that's probably a disappointment for you. I went to France because there were a lot of things in my life I felt I needed to escape from. While I had a good time and i've never regretted my decision to go there, I was incredibly homesick. I have other things to think about. My job is really important to me. I don't want to lose my progress and re-start somewhere new. I think I would be much happier remaining in the UK." 

He seemed disappointed. Hermione hoped that he hadn't been holding out for her only to be let down. She couldn't pretend, though, to be happy with something she hated. It seemed neither could he. 

Hermione smiled, knowingly. It was the same kind of humourless, satisfactory smile she would give someone, knowing she was right about something. "I'm sorry, I don't think this is going to work out." 

"Yeah" He said, in a similar tone. "I guessed so earlier, when you said that "Everything has changed". I guessed that you weren't talking about me". 

Hermione felt bad. "You seem like a genuinely good guy. But I don't think we have as much in common as I first thought." 

He gave an insecure chuckle. "We've only been talking for like, 10 minutes. I understand, I didn't really get "that feeling" either, if I'm honest." 

In for a knut? Hermione thought to herself.

"Can you keep a secret?" She asked. 

"If you're going to confess to a grisly murder, probably not." Mystery Man #11 teased.

Hermione laughed. "Its not murder. It's about one of the other applicants in the programme." 

"Please, continue." He said, sounding intrigued. "I swear I won't tell a soul."

Hermione knew it was probably cheating, but she didn't much care for The Ministry and their stupid dating rules anymore. In fact, she didn't recall ever explicitly being told that she was forbidden to discuss other candidates. It comforted her knowing that this wasn't an entirely selfish act. She was assisting a friend - being a wingwoman. It didn't matter if she got caught. 

"One of the girls in the programme, she really likes you. I'm not sure which number she is. But, I went to Hogwarts with her. I can assure you, she is probably the kindest, most genuine girl in this whole programme, and I have it on good authority that you're the only man she's picked." Hermione said, hoping she wasn't embarrassing her friend by sharing this. 

"I'm not saying you have to choose her. But, I want you to know that I came into this date, already having decided my choice. I was going to let you down anyway, because I really think you and my friend would be a good match." 

Bachelor #11 seemed speechless. Hermione's mind raced. She panicked, thinking she had crossed the line. Thankfully, the other man spoke up. 

"Well, I wasn't expecting that." He said. "Merlin, I really hope that you and I are thinking about the same girl." 

She grinned. "She plays Quidditch?" 

"No way! She likes me back?" The man said in disbelief. 

"You didn't hear it from me." Hermione beamed.

___

By the time she reached the end of the week, Hermione was exhausted. Regardless of the fact that she had only been on 3 dates this week, she was drained. Her anxiety seemed hell-bent on destroying her. Between her dates at The Ministry, Hermione had found it incredibly hard to concentrate on anything. She had lost the ability to read for more than 30 minutes at a time, leaving her restless and distracted. Hermione found herself unable to make the simplest of decisions, like what she should order for dinner. She was immensely glad that she had already chosen the men with whom she would like to continue dating. 

Random snippets of her conversations, with Mystery Men #4 and #7, had been flying through her mind since their dates. 

It was true. Mystery Man #7's identity was not so much of a mystery, but Hermione continued to act like it was. It was simply easier for her to deal with. He seemed to have changed greatly, since their time in Hogwarts. He was still just as bold, and downright shameless as he used to be. He flirted like he had had years of practice. But Hermione thought that he had gained a touch of humility, since they had last met. They had been through a War together, albeit on opposite sides for the most part.

Hermione wondered if he thought she had changed. 

Mystery Man #4 still continued to surprise her. He matched (if not surpassed) her intelligence and her logic, making them a good pairing. The man was not kind, per say, but he seemed gentlemanly. He had politely complimented her, perhaps once or twice during their whole conversation. This was not a man who gave out love to just anyone. His heart had been broken before. 

She was excited to meet the man again, if only to attempt to discover what he was keeping so hidden. 

____

When Sunday arrived, Hermione had to forcibly peel herself from her bedsheets, recalling her promise to attend dinner at the Weasleys. She showered, mentally preparing herself for the inevitable bombardment of questions she would receive about her new love life (if you could call it that). Though friendly, the Weasley's could be lovingly aggressive sometimes. Molly was a great influencer, and possessed the ability to talk one into doing things they previously had no inclination of doing. Although she adored Mrs Weasley, Hermione was still slightly fearful of her, when it came to her love life. 

Arriving at the Burrow just after 1pm (fashionably late), Hermione was greeted with the usual exaggerated welcome from the adults, and an excited squeal from the children. The house itself had changed little over the years. It was still a visual attack of mismatched furniture, vibrantly patterned curtains and bright throw pillows. A new addition, however, were the toys that were littered around the living room, left on the stairs, and strewn across the lawns by the grandchildren. Hermione had tripped over a wooden train set, that had been set up around the perimeter of the living room, in her attempt to find a seat. 

Arthur, now more grey than ginger, lay on the floor with Victoire, who was chatting excitedly to her grandad about her new train set. Hermione had no sooner perched into an overstuffed arm chair, had the smallest child of the brood attached itself to her ankle. 

"'Mione." Gurgled the little girl. 

She picked up her Godchild, and smoothed down her messy ginger curls. "Hi Sybbie." 

Sybil Weasley was two years old, and the daughter of Ron and Lavender Weasley. Each of them seemed relieved to let someone else entertain their daughter for a while.

"She's a nightmare, honestly." Ron stated, from where he was slumped on the sofa. He was watching his daughter suspiciously. "Talk about terrible two's. She had a meltdown the other day because I wouldn't let her bring a bloody garden gnome into the house. Then she bit George, because he wouldn't give her an acid pop. Completley mental, that one." 

Hermione sat the little girl on her lap, and wrapped her arms around her as she fidgeted. "She'll grow out of it, Ron."

"Mum keeps saying that shes worse than Fred and George put together." Ron huffed. "Would you believe that Lavender already wants another one? I can't take it, Mione." 

She looked down at the sweet little girl who was comfortably burrowed into her arms. Sybil gave Hermione a toothy grin. 

"Mione. Pretty!" Sybbie shouted before wriggling one of her arms free and giving a strand of Hermione's hair a good, hard yank. 

Lavender entered the living room, holding a tray of glasses and a large jug of iced lemonade. She had stepped over the train set, and dodged Arthur and Victorie like it was an everyday occurance. "Sybil Weasley! We've talked about this! You do not pull people's hair. You will apologise to Auntie Hermione right now." 

"No!" She shouted back at her mother.

"Young Lady. You mustn't pull people's hair. Tell Hermione that you're sorry." Lavender put a defiant hand on her hip and staring down her daughter. 

"Don't make me get Grandma Molly." Ron threatened, albeit tiredly. 

Hermione cringed, suddenly trapped in the middle of an argument between her stubborn Goddaughter and her parents. The little girl wrestled hard to get out of Hermione's grip. She set Sybil down on the floor, just as she let out a loud wail and tears began to cascade down her little cheeks. "I'm sowwy, Auntie 'Mione." 

Lavender scooped up her daughter, bouncing her on her hip to calm her down. Hermione, not one to comment on the parenting methods of her friends, massaged her scalp gently. She fell back into easy conversation with Ron, although often caught Lavender staring at them from where she was settling her tearful daughter. Things had eased a little over the years, but Hermione suspected that Lavender was still suspicious of her intentions, despite having now married Ron and sharing a child with him. 

It wasn't long before Harry and Ginny arrived, distracting Sybil from her tears. Marriage suited the pair, they had both matured greatly over the past 3 and a half years. Ginny had fled The Burrow at the earliest opportunity, now living at Grimmauld Place, which she had Harry had renovated. Harry and Ron were now seasoned Aurors, having joined the Department shortly after school had ended. Ginny had taken a part-time administrative desk role at The Ministry, in the same Department as her father. The pair had disclosed to Hermione that they were trying for a baby. She suspected that Ginny would give up working as soon as she fell pregnant. 

They greeted Hermione with eager smiles. Ginny, in particular, promptly exploded, barraging Hermione with an out-burst of questions about her dating life. Hermione was deliberatley evasive. She was immeasurably relieved to hear Molly shouting from the kitchen, indicating that dinner was ready. 

They all squeezed around the kitchen table, that had been magically enlarged to allow for larger company. Hermione was concealed between Molly and Ginny, opposite Harry and Ron. Next to Ron, Lavender was trying to contain their wriggling toddler, who had just slammed her fist into the serving bowl of mashed potatoes. Further down the table sat Arthur, next to George and Bill, who were each joined by their own spouses Angelina and Fleur. Victorie sat next to her mother, red-in-the-face unable to contain her giggles as her Uncle George leant over the table to whisper in her ear. 

Despite the chaos (mainly caused by Sybbie), Hermione felt relaxed for the first time since she had joined the Ministry dating programme.

"Go on then, Hermione. Tell us about the Dating Service. What's it like? Have you met anyone yet?" Ginny was unable to contain herself. 

Hermione chuckled to dispel some of her awkwardness. "It wasn't exactly love at first sight." She said. "Not at all, since the dates are completely blind." 

Ron scoffed. "You mean you can't actually see what your dates look like? How are the blokes supposed to know if the woman's fit?" 

Hermione, Ginny and Harry found this amusing. Molly did not. "Women. Are. not, objects. Ronald!" 

Lavender rolled her eyes. Hermione heard her mutter something that sounded like "Typical." 

Hermione grinned. "You're supposed to match based on personality, not looks." 

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Have you matched with anyone?"

"There are three guys-"

"Three!?" It was Ron again. He stared at Hermione with wide eyes.

Harry elbowed his friend. "Shut up and let Hermione talk." He urged. 

"Like I was trying to tell you. At this stage in the programme, you have to narrow down your choices to 3. This week, I've dated each of the 3 men and on Monday I have to decide which 2 of them I want to continue to date." Hermione explained. 

Ginny squealed. "Merlin! That sounds exciting. Have you decided who you're going to pick?"

Hermione took a long drink from her glass of water, feeling all 3 pairs of eyes staring at her. Molly and Lavender were feigning interest, but Hermione sensed that they were just as invested as the others were. 

"I have." She said, cryptically. 

"Tell me everything." Ginny urged. "What are they like?" 

"Well, my first date this week went really well." Hermione was not about to announce that she had been dating the person who had bullied her friends throughout their shared time at Hogwarts. 

"He was... surpising. There was so much more depth to his personality compared to when I originally met him. He seemed honest, and very charming. He has a bit of a silver tongue, though. I reckon he could talk anyone into anything, which makes sense because he works in Law." Hermione told them. 

Harry choked, earning himself a few hefty slaps on the back from Ginny. "You're dating someone we work with?" 

Ron seemed to catch on as well. "Is he an Auror?" 

Hermione panicked a little and she tried to back track. "No. No. I'm not really sure what he does. He just said he works in the DMLE. Hes probably a secretary or something."

Harry laughed. "Apparently Malfoy's on extended leave at the moment. Imagine if you were dating him, and you didn't even know it?!"

The boys found this hilarious. Hermione caught Ginny's eye. The witch gave her a knowing look and Hermione felt as though her blush had confirmed the other girl's suspicions. She wondered how Harry and Ron would react if she did choose to marry Draco. She couldn't quite imagine Sunday lunch at the Weasley's would ever be the same. 

Mercifully, Ginny saved her from any further awkward interrogation, silencing her brother and husband in the process. "What about the other guys?"

"The second guy seems like a gentleman. He's older than me, but I haven't quite plucked up the courage to ask his age yet. We have similar interests, and he seems intelligent." Hermione told them. 

Ginny raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Theres a 'but' coming."

"But." Hermione continued. "Theres just something off about him. He seems emotionally distant. Don't get me wrong, he complimented me a few times, but there's more to a relationship than kind words."

Lavender had given up any pretence of pretending not to listen. "I think Ron could learn to use a few kind words."  

Harry and Ginny hid their smirks, as Ron rolled his eyes. Sybil was happily licking her pureed food off of her small hands. Much like her father, she seemed happiest when she was eating. 

"The last guy seemed very nice, but there was a lack of shared interests. He seems keen on travelling, and didn't want to have children. I think we both came to an amiable agreement, not to select each other at the next Choosing." Hermione explained. 

Molly, it seemed, had taken a sudden interest in her conversation. "Well, you know what they say dear, opposites attract. Maybe you should give the last man a chance. It can be hard to tell after one date."

The rest of the company stayed silent. Hermione fumbled, feeling pressured. "I know that. But the same applies to all of the men. Ultimately, I have to narrow down my choices. The third man seems the least compatible."

Ginny and Harry were nodding in agreement, but Molly wouldn't be sated. "You're so young, Hermione. You need a man who has an emotional capacity, why not let the second guy go. You shouldn't marry someone who doesn't share your feelings." 

Hermione was beginning to feel as though Molly knew something she didn't. "With respect Molly, I don't have feelings for any of the men. You may not agree, but I'm choosing the man with whom I would find it easiest to live with. It's impossible to expect a love match to form from such an unnatural situation."

Molly stuttered a response, but was interrupted by perhaps Hermione's most unlikely ally, Lavender. "At the end of the day, it's Hermione's choice." 

"I agree." said Ginny. "If she's going to marry a stranger, it should at least be a bearable one."