Anxious about seeing Marcus for the first time after her looks changed, Hermione fussed with her hair and applied and removed her makeup several times. When her insecurities flared up about ulterior motives, she took a deep breath and ticked off all the reasons why that seemed ludicrous. He went for pizza with her. He took her to the ballet. Hell, Bas had invited him, the only part of that he planned was dinner after. He wanted her to meet his friends and encouraged her to get to know them. He came to check on her when she was upset. It didn't feel like he was faking interest. "Neither did it with Ron," a nasty little voice in her head sneered. "We are not comparing anyone to Ronald," she firmly told herself.