Susan took Michael's hand as they walked towards the restaurant. She was positively beaming, optimistic about the plans for the evening. Justin was hesitant, but he wasn't entirely among strangers. He knew her, and Michael was familiar from school and the Ministry. And Lavender was good at pulling information out of people, surely she could draw Justin out of his shell a bit. Yes. It would definitely be a good night.

As they reached the building, she saw Justin - cute scowly face fixed in place - leaning against the building. Looking up at Michael with a smirk, she asked, "Did I mention that Justin's not a big fan of blind dates?"

Michael managed to keep a straight face as his gaze moved from Justin's brooding expression to Susan's hopeful one. "You don't say?" he asked, squeezing Susan's hand. "You'd never know it. He looks positively thrilled."

They stopped just short of Justin and Michael held out his hand. "Finch-Fletchley. Good to see you again."

"Mmm-hmm," Justin managed, feeling almost ill. "Let's just get this over with, shall we?"

He guessed they were waiting for the "she" in question. Justin was praying his wand would call him to work suddenly. That would be lovely.

"You look very nice, Justin." Ignoring his less-than-pleasant snort, Susan kissed him on the cheek and took hold of each man's arm. "We may as well go ahead and get our table. I'm sure she'll be along shortly."

Leaving directions with the maitre' d that another person would be joining the party, they were seated off in a fairly secluded part of the restaurant. Susan had requested something out of the way, hoping that Justin would relax a bit if he didn't feel like he was on display.

"This will be fun, Justin. I promise," she said, sitting as Michael held her chair for her.

Oh yes. Fun. Fun like having your toenails pulled off with a pair of pliers fun. Justin gave Susan a look that told her exactly what he thought about that.

She was wearing a dress. Lavender couldn't remember the last time she'd actually dressed up and gone out anywhere. Sure, there'd been galas and what not in France for the paper, but it had been work. She'd been more worried about getting a story and a quote than actually having fun. That was what she had planned for tonight. Fun. Justin was going to hate this. She smirked just thinking about it. Grabbing the top of her dress and adjusting, making sure she wasn't going to fall out of it, she pushed open the doors to the Blue Owl.

Her eyes darted around the restaurant, unsure where they could be. She walked up to the host booth, squeezing her clutch in one hand. "Excuse me? I'm looking for-"

"A Miss Susan Bones?"

Lavender smiled. "Actually, yes."

"Right this way."

Following the man, Lavender couldn't help taking in the faces as they weaved around tables. The Blue Owl was one of the more expensive restaurants, and she knew for a fact that several politically involved witches and wizards dined here. Not seeing anyone worthy, she sighed, turning back to the man in front of her. "Did you hide them in a corner or something?"

Michael stood, giving Justin a pointed look, and cleared his throat. "Lavender Brown?"

She turned around to find the rest of her party seated in a secluded part of the restaurant. Michael smiled at her and gave Susan a look. Maybe she could get the message across to her friend. "Nice to see you again."

At the words Lavender Brown, Justin's brain had shut down a bit. He was looking at her with his mouth hanging open. Incredulous look on his face. It was not possible. Too much irony.

Giving Justin a quick kick under the table, Susan motioned for him to stand up. What on earth was the matter with him?

"Michael! So good to see you. Me and Susan had quite the time talking about you on Monday. All good, I promise." She turned with a smirk to Justin. "Mr. Finch-Fletchley. How funny meeting you here." That was the look. It didn't matter if he killed her now... that look had been worth it. Completely and utterly. She was a horrible, horrible person, but Gods if she didn't enjoy messing with people.

"Funny is not the word I would use, Brown," Justin said before standing abruptly and yanking her chair out for her.

She was smiling too much, she was sure, but this entire situation was too much fun. "Aw, such a gentleman." She sat, ignoring how he pushed the chair into the back of her knees. Setting her clutch down on the table beside her, Lavender grinned at Susan. "You were right. That is a rather cute scowly face."

Looking back and forth between Lavender and Justin, Susan smiled stiffly, trying to overlook the fact that the cute scowly face was currently directed at her. She was confused. Lavender knew Justin would be here, why would she act surprised by that? Clearing her throat, she put her game face back on. "Why don't we have some wine?"

Michael was losing the battle with keeping a straight face. He grinned at Susan. "Yes, absolutely. Wine. Lots of wine." He gestured to the sommelier and conferred with the man briefly. "Anyone have any preferences?"

"Something in a red for that one," Justin said without even thinking while nodding his head towards Lavender.

Michael placed their order with the wine steward who nodded, pleased with his choice. Opening his menu, Michael commented, "So, the duck here is good."

"I haven't eaten all day. I'm starving. I've never had duck, either." Lavender looked up at Michael with a grin, her body vibrating with the annoyance she could feel coming from Justin. She felt guilty, not letting Susan know about her plan, but if she'd done that, it wouldn't have been as enjoyable. "So, Michael, do you eat here often?"

Michael nodded. "Every so often," he said, glancing briefly at Susan with fondness. "This is a favorite place of a few of my friends, actually."

Susan blushed and squeezed Michael's hand. Then a thought occurred to her and her brow furrowed. Turning her attention to Lavender, she said, "You didn't mention that you and Justin knew each other. Outside of school, I mean. How would he know what you drink?"

"Mr. Finch-Fletchley and I go back quite a ways, actually. We've actually eaten together before. I usually have wine with my meals, so I'm sure he's filed it in that head of his." She leaned towards Susan, lowering her voice a bit. "He once saved me from a shadow. It was dreadfully frightening. Don't know what I would have done without him." She grinned, grabbing the napkin in front of her and placing it in her lap. "I should have mentioned it earlier, but I couldn't pass up an opportunity to wear a dress."

"You've dined with Justin before?" Susan's eyebrows rose and she shot a look at the man in question. "Voluntarily? Just to be in each other's company?" She sat back in her chair, completely taken aback. A wicked grin came over her face and she turned to Justin, thinking of his stance on goodnight kisses and strangers. "So, Justin," she said with a pointed look, "if you've been eating with her and saving her from, erm, shadows, Lavender isn't a stranger to you at all, is she?"

Justin glared. If she wasn't Susan, he'd hex her right now. Once again he was filled with the desire for his wand to go off calling him to work. He wanted to tell Suse whatever she was plotting to stop. He also wanted to tell her he'd get her for this. Justin was hoping his look conveyed that.

"No, Brown isn't a total stranger, but it's still not like you're thinking, so stop."

Susan's smile faded. "Alright, Justin. I apologize. It was well-intentioned meddling," she said quietly. Knowing full well she was pouting like a child, she fidgeted with the napkin in her lap. She hated it when Justin was upset with her, even if she had brought it on herself.

Justin sighed loudly and rolled his eyes sky-ward. This was worse than awkward. He didn't mean to make Susan uncomfortable or upset, but he'd warned her. She knew he was not good at this. Justin wiped a hand over his face and looked at Lavender. Perhaps he should comment on her appearance? Was that what was done?

"You're wearing a dress," he announced awkwardly.

Lavender's lips twitched. "You're certainly observant. It is a dress." She smiled, looking down at her plate. "You look nice too, Mr. Finch-Fletchley." Perhaps her plan wasn't so much amusingly annoying to Justin as it was angering. Maybe she'd pushed too far. It wouldn't have been the first time.

Justin looked down at himself, confused. He looked the same as he always did. "Thank you?"

Feeling rather proud of him for giving the correct response, Susan smiled a bit and gave Justin a wink. She was very careful to keep her voice neutral, and not sound like she was making any implications of romance when she next spoke. "So, how is it that you two have eaten together? I can't imagine Justin's suddenly been given PR duties at the Ministry."

Michael coughed.

"I don't cook, so Tom at the Leaky has become my favorite person. Turns out Mr. Finch-Fletchley frequents the Leaky as well. From time to time, he lets me burden his meal with my presence." Lavender smiled, sitting back in her chair as the wine arrived and was poured.

"A woman after my own heart," Michael said, grinning at Lavender and Susan. "Tom's food is some of my favorite. Not everyone appreciates pub food. Shepherd's pie, fish and chips," he said happily. "Not likely to find any of that here. More likely to get a goat cheese and Gorgonzola tart on a bed of baby greens."

Lavender looked up sharply. "No greens. Please."

Justin was surprised by the vehemence in her tone. He actually snickered. "Yes, I think my vomiting once in Brown's presence is quite enough."

"Well, as it was my fault in the first place, I'd feel awful making it happen a second time." She laughed, taking a sip of her wine. She nodded appreciatively at Michael. "This is good, Michael. You have good tastes. Pub food? Good wine? Susan, you've found a keeper."

Blushing, Susan gazed at Michael with what she was certain was a sickeningly sweet expression. "I know it, Lav."

Justin looked up and tried to keep the pained expression from his face. Were they really going to talk about how wonderful Corner was? Because there might be vomit anyhow in that case.

Michael cleared his throat and hoped that his blush wasn't obvious in the dim light of the restaurant. "So, Lavender. Working on anything interesting? Susan tells me you're working for the Prophet, now."

Lavender frowned. "Yeah. I'm writing a Quidditch article at the moment. Well, not so much writing as compiling my notes. I've interviewed quite a few people. Gwenog Jones? She's the captain of the... Harpies? Yeah. And Oliver Wood." She turned and looked at Susan with a smile. "Do you remember him? I am here to tell you that he is just as cute as he was years ago. Perhaps more so, actually."

"That's true enough," Susan replied with a giggle. "He came into the shop not long ago. That man is the biggest flirt I've ever met. I've never been so flustered in my life." Laughing at herself, she continued, "I was trying to sell him something, although he'd really just stopped by to see if Angelina Johnson was working. Do you know what I said? We have very good contraceptive potions. I could have died right there and then."

Lavender threw back her head and cackled, fairly sure the woman sitting behind her dropped her spoon into her soup. She leaned forward. "You didn't!" At Susan's face, Lavender snorted. "Oh, Susan. That's priceless." She reached up, running a finger under her eyes before her make-up began to run. "He was cute, and yeah, he was flirty, but I wonder if it's just his personality. Not that I would mind. Those arms of his," she broke off, sighing.

Michael's expression mirrored Justin's. "Oddly enough, Wood's arms do nothing for me," he said, with the barest hint of a scowl. "He was always a womanizer in school. Women and Quidditch. He didn't have time for much else."

"I would have to agree," Justin said. "I find nothing particularly endearing about Wood's arms."

Taking in the frown on Michael's face, Susan stroked his thigh under the table. Was he jealous? Sure, Wood was good looking, but he was far from being the type of man she preferred. She liked men with a bit more reserve, and a lot less need for spare contraceptive potions. "Well, that's good, Justin. I'm not sure I could manage to get Wood to agree to a blind date with you. You're quite a catch and all, but he does have a lot of fans to pick from."

Lavender turned to look at Justin with a brow raised. "If it's not his arms, what do you find endearing about a bloke?"

Unbidden, his mind turned to Ernie. "Loyalty and the ability to make me laugh."

He so needed to leave. He was not good at this, and now he was thinking about Ern and getting all maudlin.

Frowning, Lavender looked back at Susan. "I could have given you some names if that's what he's looking for. I work with plenty of blokes who are like that."

"I don't think they'd have what Justin's looking for." Susan reached across the table and took Justin's hand, holding it long enough to let him know she understood where his mind was, but not so long that he'd be made more uncomfortable. She was feeling a little guilty for making him come out tonight. No matter how much she wanted to see him happy and having a good time, this wasn't doing it. Maybe it was too soon after all the bad things that had happened. Maybe Justin was just too far inside himself to let anyone new in. It made her sad, but she shouldn't have pushed him.

Michael looked at the somber faces all around the table and shook his head slightly. He looked around vaguely for the waiter, who appeared as if summoned.

"Another bottle of this," Michael began, gesturing toward the wine, "and a plate of antipasto for the table, please," he ordered, looking at Susan to make sure that was alright with her.

Susan smiled, giving a slight nod.

When the waiter looked at her, Lavender glanced down at the menu. "I'll have the pasta please, marinara sauce. No dairy. I see that it comes with a salad. That won't be needed. Neither will the corn. Could I have potatoes instead?" She looked over at Justin with a raised eyebrow. "Potatoes? Do you have a problem with those, or will it be alright?"

He smirked. "No, potatoes digest just fine. I'll just have the roast with potatoes. No carrots."

Lavender laughed. "You have a problem with carrots now, too?"

"Really, you don't want the full list of foods Justin won't eat. We'd be here all night." Turning to the waiter, Susan ordered chicken Marsala with grilled vegetables on the side and then gestured to Michael.

"Veal Parmesan?" he asked, looking at Susan quizzically. The waiter nodded and walked away. Michael leaned across the table slightly. "I feel the same about Tapioca pudding. It's unnatural. And squash. Anything in the gourd family, actually." He shrugged.

"You don't like squash?" Susan asked in mock horror. "Well, that's just fabulous. I suppose it's better to have found out now, before I got really attached to you."

"Awww, it's just a little food aversion, Susan. Give him a break. Nothing wrong with that." Lavender sipped from her wine, sitting back in her chair. Her stomach growled rather loudly, and she laughed, crossing her arms over it. "Sorry. I wasn't lying when I said I hadn't eaten anything all day."

Michael sat back and looked at Susan. "Aren't there any foods you won't eat?"

Susan considered for a moment. "I'm not a big fan of tripe. Haggis is not high on my list of meals, either. Oh! And Lima beans." She shuddered. "That's about it, though. I like food. When my metabolism slows down, I'll be in big trouble."

Michael laughed and leaned over, kissing her temple. "Nonsense. You'll be lovely, no matter what." He settled back, arm around the back of Susan's chair and directed his gaze toward Lavender. "What about you? Any foods you can't stand?"

Watching Susan and Michael together, Lavender smiled, looking down at her plate. "Nothing really. I can stand mostly anything. Just a few things I can't have." She was happy for Susan. Lavender had always thought she deserved to be happy. You didn't really meet anyone who was genuinely sweet. Yes, a lot of Hufflepuffs were like that, but Susan did so without knowing it. Other than the superficial things she knew about Michael, she really didn't know anything about who he was. She supposed it really didn't matter. The way he acted around Susan was good enough.

Justin was watching Michael closely, waiting for any sign of wrong-doing. He did not know if he was disappointed or not that he could not discover any. He seemed a nice enough fellow. He was attentive to Susan.

"Dairy gives her hives," Justin answered absently. "She enjoys it still, but does not like her hives laughed at."

Lavender turned to look at Justin. She looked at him for a few seconds with an odd look on her face before tearing her gaze away and turning back to Susan. "You have no idea what I wouldn't give to be able to have cheesecake. They could break my wand, but if that meant I could have cheesecake? It would be a hard choice. Very hard."

"Mmm. Yes, I can see how that would be a difficult decision. For me it would be my mum's bread pudding. If I couldn't have that, they might as well give me The Kiss. There is no soul without that pudding." Susan's eyes glazed over as she thought about it. "I'm a decent cook, but I haven't got that recipe down yet. I ought to make Hannah give it a try."

"Hannah? Hannah bakes?"

Laughing, Susan nodded. "Asking if Hannah bakes is like asking if Justin scowls. It's just part of who she is. She's phenomenal."

"Madam Puddifoot was sitting on a goldmine," Justin remarked. "For her to fire Hannah because of that ridiculous Boxman article, it's a real crime. I hope Hannah puts her out of business. I know Malfoy has been scaring away the customers with awful stories about the food since Hannah's left. I don't like the stupid berk, but the stories he makes up are hysterical."

Lavender looked at Justin with a forced smile. He liked Hannah. Or had. If Lavender knew anything, it was attraction. "Well, I'll have to sample a few of her things. Maybe. Think she could make something without dairy?" She looked up as the waiter arrived with their food. Thank Gods.

"Of course she could, and if Zabini is up to what I think he is, she'll have her own place to experiment in. I don't like the bloke, but he does seem to adore Hannah, so I won't complain too loudly. I'll ask her. I wonder if there's such a thing as non-dairy cheesecake?"

Of course she could, Lavender mocked internally. "Don't worry about it," she mumbled, grabbing her fork.

Susan smirked, staring down at her plate so as not to be obvious about it. Look at him, offering to see if Hannah can make desserts for Lavender. 'Not like that', my bum. Justin didn't go out of his way for people he didn't like. Justin didn't spend time with people he didn't like unless it was absolutely necessary. He liked Lavender. And it was very cute.

{SUMMARY} Michael, Susan, Lavender, and Justin have a double date. Things are a bit awkward, but Susan figures something out.