DISCLAIMER: HP belongs to JKR. The storyline, all new characters, new character development, new developments are my intellectual property. Glorioux
A/n A short chapter to let you know I am working on it. It is mostly written but in draft form.
Picnic Proposal
The Malfoy were busy getting ready for the evening, the kiss had left them walking on clouds and dreaming of the witch on their bed.
Lucius kept whistling and smiling, which made Draco happy. Draco had promptly hid an owl from his mother. She called him a bad son, a traitor, and complained about her husband. Draco read two paragraphs and burned the scroll. He also warded the Manor to block future owls from his mother, along with blocking Floo calls.
"What do you think that she meant when she said a sleepover? Lucius asked Draco.
"You know exactly, the question is in what room? Not on yours and mother's, although is the nicest."
"We can buy new furniture. Let me get Herb to do it, he will know." He smiled happily, "I thought that was what she meant, I just never heard anyone call...Wait, what do I know, this is my first time."
Both chuckled, it sounded naughty. Drexel one of the Manor workers had to smile, they sounded happy; which made everyone happy in turn. He hoped the nasty old Mrs. didn't bother them any more. She made him and his brothers apprehensive, after all, they had seen her cheating with her brother-in-law since the start.
"What ring?" Draco wanted to actually propose, it was best.
"The one nobody has worn. I think she is the right bride. It was given to my great-great grandfather by Lord Greyback's father. As you know, nobody has been able to fit it. It is always too small, no matter what. It is different."
"Eh…"
They stopped talking, they had a Floo call. The Pucey were asking to come in.
The Pucey noticed the flurry of activity. "What is going on? Is there anything special being planned?" Adrian asked suspiciously.
"We have a private party." Lucius was quick to answer.
"Aha, I see." Adrian knew when Draco was nervous, he started to scratch his forehead.
"We are not going to beat around the bush, we have a proposal. The first pair that gets Miss Granger will promote the other. She is in effect a dead ringer for our favorite beauty. We need to show you this." Julius Pucey pulled out a small leather bound book with a silver lock.
They sat around one of the library tables. Julius opened the book, at once a diorama popped right over the book. It was made of moving figures and music as well. It showed a gathering, they could see the faces of several of the participants.
They were dressed in period robes, from the 17th Century. Several fancy dressed males were dancing in a circle. In the middle one single female stood. She danced around the males who were clearly smitten. She'd kiss one and then another after each turn, while those watching the dance cheered every time.
On couches around the big room others sat or stood, guests they guessed. This was a celebration, a wedding celebration. The female was a Miss Granger look alike, four of the males looked exactly like the wizards at the table. She wore a bridal robe, her long curly hair was half braided and threaded with twinkling gems.
Suddenly the celebration changed, the room was on fire, and a dark figure was going around, firing flames. All went dark.
The scene changed, a funeral procession, several small caskets. The same dark figure following it the processing feigning grief; not that they could see the face, just the body language.
The last diorama was the worst, a witch burning. It was at the end of the terrible ordeal, but they knew that it was Nannette's burning. It was obvious after they saw a few curly-hair side-lookers looking grieved.
Finally, only words, "If you found this book, it is time to undo old wrongs. All the players must be the same to avert tragedy. Be alert, be cautious. Keep any additional weddings quiet until the murderer is found. Then the hidden can come out …"
They couldn't read the rest. It was either damaged or blocked.
"Who were the others? What hidden ones, more L'Orc or L'argent? That would be great."
"I have no idea, you cannot see the faces, or how many, some times it looks like four more, sometimes like two. I have a theory, she is a Miss Granger in different realities, it is magic we don't understand, I think it is her, a version of her. It is all good, we, each pair get a Miss Granger. I think."
They saw it a couple more times. They agreed to tell Hermione to accept the Pucey's invitation. They just didn't know who was the jilted lover. Adriana Pucey had left to be with an old lover, an Italian. She had tried to return, however, Julius told them, this wasn't the first time. There had been two times before, and this time he had demanded a divorce.
The war had left widowers but also abandoned husbands. More than one witch had bailed on her family because of the war. Some husbands lied to their friends claiming their wives had been killed. The Pucey family was one of those, who knew which others.
When the Pucey left they were worried. What if Narcissa was going to hurt their witch? They decided to put worries aside and to finish their preparations. You would think this was a wedding; close enough, they were going to propose. Lucius had and idea, Draco wasn't so sure, but he wanted his father happy.
To think the day before he had been angry with his father and their witch, this was much better.
After she left the Malfoy, Hermione went with the daddies to the Granger grandparents. They were traveling with her mother's parents. A trip too buy a few things for the new babies. It made them laugh; so much for being upset.
In the attic they found a couple of books. Apparently a jilted ex lover, around the same time of the burnings, had put a block on the L'Argent and L'Orc descendants, and their magic died.
The other thing they found was Hermione's christening certificate. The daddies didn't know that their daughter had been baptized, behind their back; the name given was Hermione Nanette Granger. Hermione felt sick. Of course the twins had also been baptized. The daddies growled, their parents didn't respect boundaries. Not a battle worth fighting, let them have their jollies.
At the L'Orc grandparents' they only found a few things inside an old wooden box, a deed to a place in France, a key, and pertinent letters.
That same day Hermione talked to a friend in the Center; she made an appointment for her mother and the daddies for the next day. She wanted to check if their magic was blocked.
She also made arrangements to go to France after reading the old letters, they were correspondence with L'Orc relatives that had changed their name. It was worth a try. She would combine it with the trip to the Pucey's castle. She was one naughty witch.
A picnic at the Malfoy.
"Mom how do I look?"
"Gorgeous as usual. By the way Mel called. He said they had a very ugly scene before leaving. Talk softly because Teddy is very alert; he heard some of it and was very distressed." Hermione's mother whispered.
"Narcissa Floo to them. She said some nasty things about Andy, trying to break them up. She more or less offered herself to Mel. Andy has always felt as the ugly duckling, however I've seen the pictures, the three sisters looked exactly alike but for the hair. Andy was in tears."
"That witch, first Lucius, and now she wants Uncle Mel? I hope he told her to fly a kite. At least she is not after my wizards." Hermione didn't sound happy or convinced, "What a nasty witch." She sighed.
With that she kissed her mother, her daddies and Teddy. "But Hermi, I want to see my cousin, I will be a good wizard." He was about to cry. He had been edgy. Who knows what Narcissa had said about Teddy, the racist witch.
"Teddy, how about if you help me in my studio." Hugh suggested. He knew that Teddy loved it, even if he would make a giant mess. He loved the blue haired little wizard, they all did.
"Fleur, make sure my mother is not left alone at any time."
"Ah, I forgot, I have great news." Hermione's mom told her, "Mom wrote me today, and she said that Wilbur had told their friends that he might be marrying soon. She was beyond sad, he-he. You will finally be rid of him."
With that Hermione was gone. She was imagining their faces when they saw her nightgown. One that her mother bought for her. She would be a hit; she couldn't wait to be with them, Draco, although shy, was an unselfish lover, besides looking super hot. She could only imagine Lucius, and the idea of being with the two of them, made her ache. She was in trouble.
The image of Wilbur, her last, err, lover, came full force. He might be a bore, but face it, he was...a sex god. There, she...wait right there, had Mom said that Wilbur was marrying? Not sure, but it didn't make her very happy. Suddenly she had heartburn.
By the time she arrived at the Malfoy's home, she was fully angry. The cheat, it wasn't long when...she did that with him, with Wilbur the cheat, the user. She had a long list of epithets describing him. Indeed, she had managed to forget that she had flirted with him shamelessly after he danced thrice with Miss Horsy-face, her grandmother's goddaughter.
"Hermione," Draco ran to greet her. Oh my, he looked great. Two seconds later she had put Wilbur away. Lucius stood not far behind, she stopped breathing, they were too hot.
