Dedicated to @OwlStar30070 for being the first one to almost guess what happened. Congrats!

Hello, my lovely readers!

I know it is quite hard to believe, but I am beginning to post this story pretty regularly. All thanks to you guys and your wonderful and amazing feedback. When I saw that this story got 100 reads within 24 hours even after I abandoned for months on end, it made me realize that you lot hadn't abandoned me =) That's what made me put aside my addiction to netflix (watched the entirety of Arrested Development in 2 weeks. Awesome show BTW), and dig up my notebook and pencil =)

So thank you so much for all of your support and dedication =)

Enjoy!

*******************************************************

"Most people lose the ability to see silver linings even though they are always there above us almost every day."                                  — Matthew Quick  (Silver Linings Playbook, awesome movie)

                 Instead of feeling lightheaded as Hermione had expected to feel, having drunk an entire flute of champagne at one go, she felt her airway constricted. She felt as if something was lodged in the back of her throat and found herself coughing rather violently.

                If Cormac's neon orange robes had not already garnered the attention of most of the room, Hermione's fit of coughing sure did.

                "Hermione," Cormac exclaimed, "are you alright? I think you might have---"

                Hermione was no longer paying attention to Cormac. For the object that was restricting her breathing had finally dislodged itself from her throat and was currently resting on her palm. And even with her eyes watering from her fit of coughing, she could clearly decipher what it was.

                It was a large diamond studded ring.

                An Engagement ring.

                With the eyes of the entire room on them, Cormac prepared himself to ask the question he had been certain that Hermione had wanted to hear since sixth year when she first saw him at the Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts.

                Hermione did not notice any of this because she had just began to put together the events of the night which she now realized were harbingers of this predicament. When she had thought Cormac was having a seizure, it wasn't a seizure at all. He was just winking, or at least what he considered to be winking, at the waiter to signal to bring the champagne containing the ring. Which also explained the knowing smile on the waiter's face as he brought the glasses. Having finally pieced it together, and mentally cursing herself for not having done so sooner, Hermione focused her attention on the neon orange robed man in front of her.

                Taking a deep breath and with great certainty that he knew what the answer would be, for he found it rather inconceivable that any woman could reject such a gorgeous specimen of the human species that he considered himself to be, Cormac asked, "Will you marry me?"

                "No!" Hermione yelled internally, desperately trying to find a more kind way to phrase it. "Cormac, I don't think it would be very prudent."

                Cormac's expression dimmed for a second, for he had never considered the possibility that one could say no to his proposal. His face lit up again when he noticed the tear streaks that had run down her face, deciding on what he considered the only conceivable solution. "So you are saying that we need to go on a few more dates before we get married?"

                "Merlin's beard! How am I going to get out of this one?" Hermione thought to herself. "No. That's not what I meant—"

                "I see," Cormac interrupted, his pride too strong for him to even consider such a blow as a rejection. "You're playing hard to get, in hopes of intensifying my feelings towards you. It is, after all, a tactic many women use to attain greater affection."

                "No!" Hermione exclaimed. "Most certainly not! I would never do such a thing!"

                "The women that use this tactic, I'm certain, would say the exact same thing to further their attempts," Cormac replied with a knowing smile.

                "If there are any such women exist,  I would like to impress upon you that I am not one of them," Hermione retorted rather hotly. "I simply believe that we are not a suitable match. For you could never make me happy and I'm convinced that I am the last woman on the earth who could make you so."

                Thus with that Hermione got up and swiftly exited the room, having decided that she had faced enough embarrassment for one evening. In fact, she was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice that someone had followed her out of the restaurant until she heard a voice behind her.

                "When I came here tonight, didn't think I'd be getting free entertainment too," a voice drawled.

                "Bugger off, Malfoy," Hermione replied through gritted teeth as she kept on walking. "Why are you following me?"

                "Do you need a lift?" Draco asked.

                This question was so shocking that it caused Hermione to stop in her tracks, which in turn caused Draco, who had be walking behind her, to run into her.

                "Excuse me?"

                "I asked 'Do you need a lift?'" Draco asked again. "Going deaf, are you?"

                After seeing Hermione's eyes narrow in suspicion, he added, "Blaise sent me."

After seeing her eyes narrow even further, he further elucidated, "I owed him a favor."

                "Oh, well that explains it," Hermione replied.

                "So. Do you need a lift or not, Granger?" Draco asked impatiently. "I'm not getting any younger."

                "Yeah, I can see your hair turning grey as we speak," Hermione retorted, causing Draco to immediately check his reflection as a force of habit, which in turn caused Hermione to feel slightly better about her current predicament.

                "Haha, very funny," Draco replied sarcastically.

                "It was quite funny. As for the ride, no thank you," Hermione answered. "I have no desire to sit in a car with you while you rub the events of tonight in and revel in my embarrassment. I'd rather apparate and get splinched."

                "What every suits you," Draco replied, turning back.

                After taking a few steps, he turned around and called out, "Granger!"

                "What?" Hermione answered, thoroughly irritated once again, turning around to glare at the platinum blonde.

                "If you see the Weasley twins, tell them I have a new business idea I'd like to pitch for their joke shop," Draco said with a mischievous smile. "I call it Granger's Refusals: The Most Amusing Ways to Reject a Proposal."

                "Sod off, Malfoy!" Hermione yelled before turning on the spot and apparating back to the comforts of her apartment.

***********************************************

It didn't really end up being as good as I had imagined it in my head...oh well. Hoped you guys liked it.

If you have any questions, concerns or comments, leave it in the comment section and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can. And even if I don't actually reply, I'll read it (I have a terrible habbit of reading things but not replying. If you don't believe me you can ask @EvangelineLanae whose texts I always read but sometimes forget to reply to for days on end)

Regardless, until next time, watch tons of movies, reads tons of books, and Potter On!

BTW, Now You See Me is such a awesome movie!! If you haven't seen it yet, go watch it. And the same goes for This Is The End. Though the part with Channing Tatum is just...I wont ruin it for you. But be warned, once you see it you can never look at Channing Tatum the same. Ever.

Amazingness xx