"I need a girl, not a body with a complex/ I got a heart and you've got your lipstick/ Fine as hell but I think I might as well drop Annabelle/ You're staying up just to dance alone/ I'm dressing down 'cause I'm tired and I wanna go home/ You look the part but looks don't tell the truth, woah-oh/ Well baby you're pretty but I'm pretty sure I'm over you/ You can't even hold a normal conversation/ But you can tell your friends I ruined your life/ Whatever helps your perfect reputation/ 'Cause I'm not losing sleep tonight..." - A Rocket to the Moon, "Annabelle"
Blaise was never one to typically enjoy more feminine things. Of course, he didn't automatically shun them, or hate them, but he truly just didn't understand the need for unnecessary lace and he certainly had no idea what tulle was. He wasn't under the impression that center pieces were incredibly important, and when asked what sort of tuxedo he was meant to wear at the ceremony, he simply stared blankly at the one who had asked the question. This is why Daphne, the one who had asked the question to begin with, declared that they were to go to the best wedding planner in wizarding London the next morning. He didn't quite understand why one got paid to plan things for other people, but it meant that he didn't have to think too hard about it and it would make Daphne happy, so he didn't suppose it was the worst thing in the world.
He looked around the waiting room, where Daphne had insisted to the receptionist that it was incredibly urgent that they see the wedding planner, and he was disgusted to see that every inch of the waiting room was covered in bright pink roses. With the way the elderly receptionist bustled to each and every lurid bouquet to water them with care, he guessed that she had been the one to put them up.
A young man, possibly no older than nineteen and dressed rather formally in a vest and tie, poked his head out from behind a door and glanced down at a clipboard. "Zabini-Greengrass? Right this way."
Daphne stood, her long blonde hair swaying as she paused to delicately wrap her hand around Blaise's, giving him a sweet smile and practically dragging him in excitement in such a dignified way that only a Pureblood could pull off. Her heels clicked on the Cherrywood floors, down a hallway and into an office, the walls filled with dark bookshelves and a sleek, dark wood desk taking up the center. There were big, hulking binders filling some of the shelves, but others were a myriad of books, some with nothing to do with weddings.
The man who had shown them in scribbled something on his clipboard and flashed them a pearly white smile, "She'll be right in, just finishing up with another customer."
Daphne thanked him, folding her hands in her lap and practically bouncing in excitement as she took her seat in front of the desk. Blaise stood, perusing over the shelves and humming as he read the titles.
"Whoever this person is, they've got some top-quality rare books," he informed his fiancé, brushing his thumb over the spine of one to feel the cracked leather. "What I wouldn't give to have this kind of library."
"Thank you for the compliment, Mister Zabini," a melodic, yet familiar voice announced as the door quietly shut and a different pair of heels clicked in. He turned around to find Hermione Granger, dressed in a grey blazer and a pair of black slacks, shaking Daphne's hand before turning to him and smiling. It seemed as if she didn't hate the pair of them, which was weighing on Daphne's mind judging by her wide eyes behind the brunette's back.
"Granger?" Blaise questioned, just to make sure it really was her, or if she'd lost her memory or something.
"Yes," she nodded, still smiling and offering her hand, which he shook, "I must ask – why are you surprised that I am here, in my office, after you've hired me?"
Daphne blushed up to her roots, "Err – I only heard that you were the best in the business. I didn't pay much attention to the name, I'm afraid."
Hermione tilted her head back and laughed, that monstrous mane from school tied up in a thick bun, pieces still framing her face. "Well, I'm flattered, and thank you all the same. Now, let's get started, shall we?" She clicked to her chair, and Blaise moved to his own opposite her. As she sat down, she flicked her wand, a Quick-Quotes quill coming to life as she shifted through a few papers. "When would you like to plan the event?"
"December fifth," Daphne supplied, the quill scribbling in midair.
"That leaves us roughly around five months to plan, nothing I can't handle. Anywhere you would have in mind for the wedding?"
"My family's manor, it's always been a tradition, but I'm afraid that the gardens are a fright during the winter months."
"Oh, well if you'd like to have an outdoor wedding, I know many charms to make it look like a winter wonderland while keeping it a neutral temperature for you and the guests."
"Ooh! That'd be perfect!"
The two went on like this for some time, back and forth, and Blaise quickly lost interest in the conversation. He let his gaze move back over to the books, scanning the titles and wondering if Granger would just let him pluck one and read it while they gabbed. Daphne would be used to it, he were sure, but he was afraid Granger would scold him for not paying attention. Surely, she would notice that he didn't know or care very much about what was being said, and that it certainly didn't apply to him.
"Now, groomsmen – Blaise?" she called, and he turned to look at her in mild surprise as she seemed to pluck upon the one thing he actually had to decide.
"Draco Malfoy is my best man," he supplied, and she nodded as she urged him to go on. "Err…Draco Malfoy is my only groomsman."
Granger seemed to accept this, but Daphne turned to him in puzzlement.
"What about my cousin, Wallace? He would do it."
"Then what about my sister, Evangeline, as a bridesmaid?" he countered, and Daphne immediately pinched her face into a small scowl.
"I've already gotten all of the bridesmaids picked out, dear, and you know Evangeline and Astoria do not get along," she gave a small sniff as she proved her point, her voice calm and quiet, "I certainly can't have my day ruined by your sister and Astoria trying to duel each other in the dressing rooms."
"Well, I certainly can't have my day ruined by your cousin bumbling about and knocking into Draco, which will then cause him to get the perpetual bitch-stare going throughout the entire ceremony. Do you want that? It'll be in the pictures too, and at the reception."
"Ahem," Granger coughed, attempting to stop it from snowballing into anything worse in front of her. "Well, we can just finalize those things at a later date. How's about we schedule our next appointment for…next Thursday, to see the location? Is that any issue?" They shook their heads. "Perfect! Do you have any questions for me?"
Daphne primly shook her head, but Blaise popped up at the opportunity, "How did you not become a lawyer or a Healer or something? Why a wedding planner?"
Granger simply smiled, her hands folded on top of her desk like the good student she had been and always probably would be, "Perhaps I'll tell you later. I work better with examples."
Blaise tilted his head at her curiously, but she was saved by the man from earlier stepping in after knocking, looking frazzled. "Miss Granger, I hate to interrupt, but Miss Kolvert is demanding that you redo the envelopes for her wedding, as they're supposed to have lilac ribbons rather than light purple. I tried telling her the issue, but she wouldn't listen to me."
Granger sighed and stood, "No worries, Jacob, we were just finishing up here. Could you please show Blaise and Daphne out?"
Jacob visibly relaxed as the two stood and followed him out after thanking Granger for her time, possibly because he wouldn't have to deal with Miss Kolvert again. The couple was silent until they stepped out of the Floo and into Greengrass manor.
"Hermione Granger is our wedding planner," Daphne murmured first, as if the shock were finally wearing off. She removed her shawl, wringing it in her hands, and looked at Blaise with wide, crystalline eyes. "The Brightest Witch of Our Age, Gryffindor Golden Girl, is our wedding planner."
"I can honestly say that I never saw this happening," Blaise whispered back, "Do you think she'll be decent at it?"
"I – I think so," she answered shakily as they made their way out to the garden, which was still bright and overflowing with greenery as it was still summer. "I mean, she's a perfectionist, right? So she wants to get everything right." Blaise nodded his agreement as they stepped into the sunlight, a table and chairs set up and occupying two blondes, who were still waiting for them.
"How was the appointment?" Draco asked, his hand clasped on top of the table with Astoria's as the two women greeted each other.
"Hermione Granger is our wedding planner," Daphne immediately hissed, as if she were gossiping across the Slytherin dining table, and Draco looked to Blaise in the next instant for confirmation. At his nod, the couple shared a look before nodding as well and going back to their tea. Blaise thought this odd, and quickly asked about it.
"Well," Astoria shrugged, setting her cup down on its saucer, "If she mucked anything up, she'd be devastated. She always had to get 'O's in school, I don't see how work would be any different."
"Right," Daphne visibly relaxed, nodding at her older sister, "She's a perfectionist, isn't she?"
"Or just crazy," Draco murmured before biting into a biscuit, looking up directly into his wife's glare. He arched an eyebrow as he chewed, and the woman sighed.
"Do you think that will make her feel better?" she gave a slight pout. Daphne, as soon as Draco had said that, immediately tensed right back up and began drumming her fingers against the white linen of the tablecloth. Astoria reached over and took her little sister's hand, patting it and smiling sweetly at her. "There, there, Daphne, your wedding won't be ruined, it will be simply spectacular. Why, it may even beat mine!" she whispered conspiratorially, and Daphne perked up. Blaise sighed, slipping a little lower in his seat, and turned to Draco.
"Granger's coming here to check out the gardens next Thursday, if you want to steer clear," he informed him, picking up the other biscuit.
Draco looked perplexed, "Why would I steer clear? Do you want me away from Granger?"
"Don't you two have bad blood? Err – bad history?" Daphne asked.
Astoria waved it away, "They apologized to each other, shortly after we started dating. They aren't the best of friends, but at least can stand to be in the same room with one another for extended periods of time. It's the other two that don't have half a brain between them, they're the ones that they all get into it with."
Draco looked unabashed and shrugged, "It gets me out of going to the Ministry Christmas Ball. Not my fault we lost all of those drapes."
"Lucky," Blaise hissed, and Draco grinned evilly back at him as he took another bite of his biscuit. Astoria rolled her eyes at the two, but gave a very fond smile at her husband. He returned it before speaking again.
"Besides, I'll have to deal with Granger at some point in all of this anyway," he said before straightening up and smirking at Blaise, "By the way, who is your best man, Blaise?"
Blaise tensed, just as Daphne did, and he nibbled his biscuit and avoided anyone's eye contact, "Goyle, of course, I just can't wait to see him bumble down the aisle and drop the ring down a floor grate. Of course it's you, you blonde oaf."
"Speaking of groomsmen – Astoria, don't you think Wallace would love to be one?" Daphne spoke as Blaise took his moment to scowl at his biscuit. Draco and Astoria caught this, shared another quick glance, and sipped their tea in silence.
"I told you, Wallace could be a groomsman if Evangeline got to be a bridesmaid," he spoke, dropping the biscuit on the plate and clenching his fists at his side.
"Oh, why don't you do that, Daphne?" Astoria brightened as Blaise looked between the two sisters before glaring at the youngest, "She's such a darling – how is she, Blaise?"
Daphne bit her lip before huffing, glaring back at him, "Fine, I can't stand your sister! She gets on my nerves, thinking she's Italian."
"We are Italian!" Blaise erupted, "It's in our last name! Grandmother lives in Venice, where she, her mother and grandmother were born! How could you get any less Italian than that?"
Daphne turned pink, but only as she was getting ready for a good shouting match, judging by her scowl deepening and her tiny fists clenching up in her lap.
"Alright, now that certainly is enough!" Astoria chided, setting the china down with a very hard clink! She settled the both of them with a glare as Draco idly sipped his tea. "I'm well aware that an arranged marriage is difficult to come to terms with, but it can be done! Just look at Draco and I – the first month we would barely look at each other, and now…well." She flushed, and gave a happy smile as Draco returned it, "We're very happy together." She returned the glare, and dropped her voice, "And I doubt I have to remind you two that arranged marriages are certainly illegal now, hmm? What should happen if Granger senses something off about your marriage?" Daphne lost the pink in her face and started moving towards a very nice pale shade. "She'll go to her bumbling Aurors, who will bumble around in our things and our lives and realize that not only did Daddy and Madame Zabini strike up one for you and Blaise, but also the one for me and Draco. Do you think they'll stop after that, after they probably rip us apart, or will they keep going through Daddy's bank transactions and notice a severe increase in withdrawals at the end of my seventh year that abruptly ended in May?"
Draco sighed, rubbing at Astoria's free hand and working at calming his wife. When this didn't seem to be working, he finally spoke, "So much stress isn't good for the baby, dear."
Daphne perked right back up, looking at her sister urgently, "Baby? Oh, Astoria, are you - ?"
Astoria glared at her husband, but relaxed easily enough and gave another sweet smile to him, that he also returned, "Yes, we are." Daphne erupted into eager little screams and dove at her sister to drown her in hugs and questions, while Blaise stiffly turned to Draco and gave a grim smile and a handshake.
"Congratulations," he said, to which the blonde nodded before hopping up out of his chair.
"Blaise, come take a walk with me, I'll tell you all about mine and Astoria's wedding preparations," he said, and the two men wandered off down a winding trail until they were a good distance away. "Astoria and I only worked because we felt something other than obligation for each other," he spoke quietly, both keeping their gaze on the trail. "If you honestly can't stand her now, break it off before it gets even more expensive." At Blaise's questioning look, he scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Please, I can see the thought in your head. And, as your legal consultant, I can tell you that I have found at least eighteen loopholes in your marriage contract with only one read-through. It should be easy enough to get out of it."
"Won't that put you in trouble with Astoria though?" he asked, settling his hands into his pockets.
Draco shrugged, "She wants to make her father happy, but she also cares about her sister's wellbeing. Right now, Daphne wants a wedding, and the only way she can get a wedding right now is with you. Astoria's going to be on her side, but she's also on yours. We both can tell that you aren't happy."
"She hates my sister, Draco," Blaise insisted, "She didn't think we were actually Italian even though my family took her to Florence for dinner several times and carried on conversations with the staff about their own families. Astoria's right, Daphne only cares about a wedding, but she sure as hell doesn't care about me."
"Then you know what to do," Draco whispered, "Talk to your mother first, then her."
"And what am I supposed to tell my mother?" Blaise sighed, the weight of the world resting on his shoulders.
Draco hummed before brightening, "Inform her that my mother wouldn't mind going into some sort of business with her."
"Is that true?" Blaise asked warily, not about to lie to his own mother.
"Actually, this time it is," he scoffed, "Mother wants to open her own tea shop and fill it with baked goods, but she wants variety as well. Simone can actually bake and has a cheery outlook on decorating."
Blaise smiled back, "I think she'd like that very much. She always did like your mother."
Draco nodded his agreement, the two settling into the conversation as they wound around the Greengrass gardens. Blaise took the walk to ponder his position, and heaved a large sigh, "I'll talk to my mother next week, she's visiting Grandmother until then." Draco nodded again, and the rest of the walk was spent talking about Astoria and Draco and babies of the two being brought into the world.
Blaise quickly finished tea, bid Daphne and Astoria good luck with their baby talk, and wished Draco the best of luck dealing with them before he Floo'd back to his flat, collapsing into his bed and thinking of making the world's stiffest drink. He snuggled against the comforter, thinking about having someone there with him that he actually cared about and who cared about him, or even just having one of the books off of Granger's shelf to keep him company.
I decided to do this for fun and to try to de-stress from college, as finals are in two weeks (EEP!) and I am drowning in ten billion things. I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave me a review if you would like!