Blinding State of Affairs

Chapter Ten

The restaurant was impeccable and expensive as Hermione sat down across from Blaise. He was smirking and ordered some Japanese beer for them when the waiter came. Hermione did not own dresses; that was just a fact. She was a single mother. She owned two different types of clothes. Home wear and work wear. However, Ginny squeezed her into a lovely black dress and slapped some sacrificial paint on the scared woman's face.

"I haven't been on a real date in ages," She murmured, running her finger on the rim of her water glass.

"Well, it is a nice place. In fact, Draco recommended it," He told her with a smirk like she should know what he meant.

"Don't you feel bad for lying to him?" She asked softly, and Zabini frowned deeply.

"Well, of course, but you really weren't giving us much of a choice."

Hermione exhaled slowly and shook her head. "I feel guilty. I want to tell him. He doesn't understand why we cannot be friends," she declared, and Blaise scratched his chin.

"You are quite attached to your boss, it makes me a bit jealous he sees you every day," He snickered, and she scoffed.

"That was in poor taste," She snapped, and his eyebrows ran up to his forehead.

"My apologies. I didn't realize," He grumbled and huffed. "I don't do this either usually," he said waving a hand around. "Dates don't usually appeal to my nature."

Hermione glanced around and gasped, trying to hide her face behind the menu. Astoria and Draco Malfoy were being led by a waitress near them. Zabini followed her stare and growled. "That mother f-"

"Is that Zabini and Granger?" Draco asked, and Astoria made an agreeing sound. "Alright, right here is good," he said to the waitress, and she set up their place settings. "I want the booth if you don't mind," he told Astoria who guided him over to sit right next to Hermione.

"Draco mother fucking Malfoy, what are you doing here?" Blaise asked, and Hermione set down her menu.

"You called me Granger," she noted, and he pivoted his body toward her.

"I did because that is your name," he sneered and waved his hand. "Hermione Jean Granger. Age, 28, adoptive mother of Edward 'Teddy' Remus Lupin who is eight-years-old. Spent three years getting her undergrads at Cambridge, impressive. Then working for a small piece of shit news company for five years and worked her way up through the ranks. You then got fired because said piece of shit news company wanted to keep it in the family as Black Industries usually does and now work for me." He finished, and Hermione's mouth didn't close.

Blaise turned to Astoria. "You are a rat, not an Anguis," he hissed, and she shrugged her shoulders.

"I didn't say a word, thank you," she said with a nod and Draco chuckled.

"So why are you here?" Hermione questioned, and Draco tapped his chin.

"Well, you left before we could actually talk last night, so I recommended a restaurant to Zabini and told him I would set up reservations for him. You owe me a job interview," he growled and searched for his water glass.

"You aren't angry?" she questioned as he sipped his glass.

He slanted his head. "I was. I was going to storm into my cousin's estate and demand your resignation for your lies. I was going to hire someone to beat the fuck out of Zabini and Flint. I yelled at my mother, which I am not proud of..."

The waitress approached their tables, and Draco waved at her. "You are a server? Yes?" he asked, and she nodded.

Hermione turned and hemmed. "He is blind, not just ignorant for wearing sunglasses inside; please speak up." She said politely with a smile, and the waitress gasped.