Is Love Blind?

Chapter 2 - Let The Experiment Begin.

Full disclaimer. I don't speak French and I have never studied it. The French parts are generated purely by Google Translate. 

Having been forced into an unfamiliar, and potentially hostile environment, Hermione decided to stick to what she was comfortable with. She intended to approach the "speed dating" round of the MaPS dating service, as though she was conducting research for a study. Hermione reassured herself, that today would be nothing more than a quick dissection of character. Although she would eventually have to evaluate her findings and come to a reluctant conclusion, Hermione found her method much easier to deal with than the unfamiliar notion of "speed dating." She had even concealed her trusty notebook and quill in her bag, ready to record her findings.

Following their briefing from Avril, Hermione, Katie and the other women were led into a corridor that was lined with boring brown doors. It was much like the corridors Hermione had navigated, down in the Department of Mysteries, however what was behind these doors was infinitely more terrifying. Each door was numbered, and led to a room which contained a potential male suitor, whom Hermione assumed had been disguised to keep his identity hidden.  

Steadying herself, Hermione took a deep breath, feeling her anxieties from earlier resurface. What was she doing here? Why didn't she just flee the country, like many witches and wizards her age had after the passing of the Act?  She could have stayed in France and concealed herself from The Ministry. She could have gone to Australia, and found her parents, and a strapping Aussie bloke to match. In a worst case scenario, Hermione could have abandoned magical society altogether, and lived the rest of her life posing as a muggle. In reality, it was all so much more complicated than just abandoning her home. 

As cliche as it sounded, Hermione's whole life was in the UK. Her parents had forgotten about their know-it-all magical daughter, and lived happily in Melbourne as dentists. It had been a tough decision to obliviate them, but the right decision after Lord Voldemort had begun targeting muggles during the war. Her only remaining family were Harry and Ron, and the rest of the Weasley's. She didn't think she could survive a week without them. 

The overwhelming irony was, that the Postwar Population Planning Act was supposed to be an incentive for the magical youth to start their own families. The thought of having children at the age of 20 (providing she did manage to find a match) made Hermione feel uncontrollably nauseous. 

Taking a deep breath, Hermione opened the door that Avril had assigned her. What would Eligible Bachelor #8 be like? 

The room itself was rather plain and small. The walls were dark, the only light coming from a soft lamp in the corner. There was a sleek, leather two-seated sofa that took up most of the floor space inside of the room. The wall opposite the sofa was made out of opaque frosted glass. Hermione could see the blurred outline of an individual, who appeared to be sat on a similar couch in an adjoining room. 

"Hello?" said a deep voice. It sounded clear, as though the man was sat right next to her. 

Hermione sat down on the couch and opened her notebook. "Hi?" 

Let the experiment begin, she mused. 

____

Over the course of the next 5 days, Hermione had met and "dated" all 12 potential suitors that the Ministry had selected. While she would argue that none of the dates had gone horrifically, Hermione was of the opinion that some of the men were very ill-suited to her personality. It was clear, also, that not all of the candidates were blushing seventeen year-old virgins. In fact, she was glad to have discovered that some of the suitors were older than her. All of them had been pleasant, polite, and even a little awkward at times. It was not at all the stifling display of testosterone-fueled showboating that Hermione had expected.