Pride of a Granger & Prejudice of a Malfoy

Chapter 18: The Date (Part III)

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!

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"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?"