Hermione arrived in Ginny's old room with a pop to see Ginny patiently waiting on her bed, with Angelina to her right.

"Sorry I'm late," Hermione panted.

Ginny put on an expression of fake bewilderment. "I can't believe you! You're a whole minute late! What's gotten into you lately, Hermione?" her friend joked. Hermione grabbed a pillow, and lightly whacked it onto Ginny's arm, making her fiery-haired friend giggle, Angelina joining in.

"So, are we ready to go?" Hermione inquired, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

Ginny nodded. "I think so. I have all the boutiques I want to visit on a list," she replied, holding up a piece of parchment.

"And, if you don't mind, I'm going to be tagging along," Angelina piped. "My wedding is just a week after Ginny's, and I have a lot to get done, so getting a wedding dress out of the way will help a bit. Hopefully," she added.

Hermione shrugged. "That's fine with me. So where are we going first?" she asked Ginny.

Ginny squinted at her list. "Um... Well, it's called 'Metal Flaque', and it's in Paris."

"Shall we, then?" Hermione asked, holding out her arm.

"We shall," Ginny replied before taking her arm, along with Angelina's, and disapparating them.


The three girls arrived in an empty alley a few blocks from the shop, and began to walk over. The streets were filled with tourists, making it hard to get around. The crisp wind stung Hermione's face, and blew her hair in twenty different directions at once, obscuring her vision. Her hair also made the decision to fly into her mouth, causing her to splutter, and Ginny and Angelina to laugh, until, however, their own hair did the same.

As they rounded a corner, a fresh gust of wind slapping their faces, Hermione decided to make a bit of small talk.

"So," she began. "How has Neville been? I never asked who he got paired with."

"Oh," Ginny giggled. "Remember Cho Chang?"

"No!" Hermione gasped. "No, that can't be! I thought he was dating Hannah Abbott. He didn't propose or anything?"

Ginny shook her head. "They were taking another 'break' and he missed his chance. Hannah got paired with Theodore Nott."

"These pairings are insane," Angelina said, giving her head a slight shake. Ginny and Hermione murmured in agreement.

"Cho Chang, though," Hermione continued. "I just... I can't even imagine that. What about Lavender Brown?"

"McLaggen," Ginny replied.

Angelina and Hermione both stared at her in disbelief. "Seriously?" Angelina asked. "I remember him; he was a year below me. He was a total prick."

Hermione snorted at that, causing Ginny to giggle once more. "Pavarti?" she questioned.

"Adrian Pucey," Angelina answered, shuddering. "His teeth give me nightmares."

If Hermione recalled correctly, Pucey had a rather... toothy grin. The only other fact she could remember about him was that he was one of the only players on the Slytherin Quidditch team to not cheat.

"So, how's Luna?" Hermione asked Ginny as they made it the last few meters to the shop. Luna had gone back to Hogwarts the following school year after the battle. Ginny had stayed at home, opting to instead just take the exams with the other students as opposed to actually taking the entire year. Hermione had also been given the option to return, but, tempted as she was, she decided to go the same route as Ginny. Though, looking back on it now, she almost wished she'd gone; all students of age that were still in school were exempt from the law until graduation.

"She's okay," Ginny replied, opening the door to the boutique. "We don't talk as much now that N.E.W.T.S are coming up, but she's fully convinced that we have an infestation of Plumarian Chumas in our attic."

"What are Plumarian Chumas?" Angelina asked.

Ginny shrugged.

As Hermione stepped into the store, she took a moment to take it all in. It was a moderate size, filled with racks and racks of dresses. It smelled... it smelled like old and new combined, with a certain musky scent to it. The entire place was beautiful.

Countless women were bustling around, carrying their entire weight and then some in dresses. There were a few men standing awkwardly in corners, looking like they didn't belong, no doubt the fathers or friends of the brides.

If she was being honest, this was Hermione's first time in a wedding store, and she was eager to get started. Her companions looked as if they were having the same feelings.

Excited, the three women bustled off to the first rack. Ginny was the first of them to reach in and pull out a dress.

"What about this one?" she asked enthusiastically.

In Ginny's hand was by far the ugliest dress Hermione had ever seen. It was a sickeningly almost-yellow color, with shoulder-less sleeves. It poofed beyond belief, and had a random streak of lace running diagonally across the middle. To top things off, there was a great big bow slapped on the top left.

Fighting a gag reflex, Hermione raised an eyebrow at her friend. "You're joking, right?"

Ginny smacked her arm with a playful scowl. "Of course I'm joking, you idiot!"

Angelina let out a sigh of relief. "Thank Merlin. That is one hideous dress."

Laughing, the three of them continued their hunt.


Ginny waddled out of the dressing room in what she had deemed the "perfect dress" on the rack; it wasn't so perfect anymore. The form-fitting gown was a bit too form-fitting for Ginny's pregnant body. She wasn't even close to showing, but she wasn't quite as slender anymore, and the dress hugged in all the wrong places.

Ginny huffed. "I look like a tramp," she complained.

"Why don't you just fix it with magic?" Hermione inquired.

"Because!" Ginny whined. "I don't want to have to fix the dress with magic. I just want... the perfect dress." Hermione rolled her eyes at that.

"On the bright side, your boobs look great," Angelina pointed out.

Ginny grinned. "I know, right?" she exclaimed. "Pregnancy boobs are amazing!"

Hermione laughed as Ginny went back into the dressing room, before turning back to the rack she was on.

A few minutes later, Ginny walked out with a new dress on, beaming.

"This is the dress."


While Hermione didn't find her special dress that day, Angelina did.

They were walking down the streets of London, heading to a small muggle restaurant for dinner, when they passed another wedding dress shop. There it was, Angelina's dress, beckoning towards her through the window.

Angelina instantly fell in love with the champagne-colored dress, and rushed in to try it on. It was a near-perfect fit, nothing a bit of magical tweaking couldn't fix. She happily payed the cashier with her remaining muggle money, and they set off again.


"So, Hermione," Ginny started as they sat on her bed after they had left the restaurant. Harry was still out for auror training, and wouldn't be back until the next morning. "How was your not-a-date with Malfoy?"

Hermione shrugged. "It was... interesting. We chatted a bit, bickered a bit, drank butterbeer, etc."

Ginny scrunched up her eyebrows. "Sounds... boring," she said.

"So, Angelina," Hermione said, changing the subject. "How's George been? Is he doing alright?"

"He's..." she began. "He's been okay. He's still depressed, but... it's getting easier for him. I'm hoping that once we have our first child, it'll take his mind off of Fred's death. He has every right to be sad, believe me, but him moping around every day isn't helping anyone."

Ginny and Hermione nodded solemnly. "I wish there was something we could do," Ginny lamented. "Fred and George were always my favorites, and I hate seeing George so down."

Angelina sighed in defeat. "Ignoring the cheesiness, only time will tell."

"Onto happier subjects..." Ginny said. "I need to get you two bridesmaid dresses!"

Hermione groaned. "Okay, but don't make them super horrible! You saw those dresses Fleur made us wear at her wedding; I don't want to relive that experience."

Ginny cocked an eyebrow at her bushy-haired friend. "Do you doubt my dress-picking skills?"

Hermione laughed. "You know I don't; I was just saying."

"Oh!" Angelina blurted suddenly. "I've been meaning to ask you guys; would you be my bridesmaids?"

Hermione grinned, while Ginny squealed. "Of course we would!" her red-haired friend exclaimed, tackling Angelina.

The three of them laughed and played and talked until close to one in the morning, when Angelina had to excuse herself, wanting some sleep before work the next morning at the Broom Shop in Diagon Alley. She tested all the brooms before they were displayed in the shop, and took customers out for test flies on the broom of their choosing.

After saying good bye, Hermione and Ginny stayed up for another half an hour before calling it a night.


Hermione walked down the suspiciously empty corridor that she knew all too well, avoiding the occasional falling brick or dust cloud being sent down from above, where the fighting was still going on. She shuddered when she heard the thump of another lifeless body hitting the ground.

A penetratingly shrill scream pierced Hermione's ears, which made her steps falter, but she continued on nevertheless. She had to find Ron and Harry.

It was Lord Voldemort's voice that brought her to a halt.

"You have fought valiantly," he hissed. "Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. Yet you have sustained heavy losses..."

Hermione broke into a run, not really knowing where she was headed, but she wound up standing in front of the doors to the Great Hall. She took a deep breath, not knowing what to expect when she entered, and pushed over the heavy doors.

What she saw made her scream; lying on the hard cement ground, in a big and bloody pile, was everyone she loved: Harry, Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Tonks, and countless others.

"Hermione," someone whispered into her ear, but when she turned around, no one was there. "Hermione," the voice repeated with more force. Suddenly she was shaking, and then she was brought back to reality.

Hermione opened her eyes, panting, a sheer line of sweat coating her forehead. Ginny hovered above her, clutching a candle, and worriedly dabbing at her face with a damp washcloth. When she noticed that her friend was awake, she let out a sigh of relief.

Hermione sat up with a groan. "What happened?" she asked, rubbing her temples.

Ginny glanced at her solemnly before setting her candle and washcloth down, and taking a seat next to her friend. "You were screaming," she whispered, shaking.

Hermione pulled Ginny into a tight embrace, resting her chin on the top of her head. "I was dreaming about the war," she replied, nuzzling into her flaming red hair.

"Of course you were," Ginny spat as she jerked away, seething. "That's all anyone dreams about, the bloody war."

They fell silent for a moment, before Hermione spoke up. "It's worse when I'm alone." Ginny's expression softened, and she offered Hermione a weak smile.

"Then... then maybe, this marriage law thing will be good for you," Ginny said hopefully, though her voice deceived her. "I know... I know Malfoy isn't ideal, but... but maybe-"

"I know," Hermione answered, cutting her off.

"You know," Ginny said, a slight panicked tone in her voice. "Harry's worse. He... he always sleeps with his wand under his pillow, and... and he talks in his sleep a lot, and he just always looks so... empty, and... and-"

Ginny was on the verge of collapsing, and barely choked out the last few words, and when Hermione pulled her back into the hug, she just lost it, and began to sob into her friend's shoulder.

"I just..." she cried. "I just don't know what to do! I don't know how to help him!"

"I know, I know," Hermione cooed, soothingly stroking her back in large circles as she began to choke on her sobs.

After a few minutes, Ginny's cries turned into silent whimpers as she shook in Hermione's arms. Soon, her friend was asleep, so Hermione took the washcloth, and carefully wiped away the tears stained on her cheeks, before gently setting her down, tucking a blanket over her.

Sighing, she grabbed a blanket and a pillow, and laid down on the floor beside the bed, falling asleep once more.


Hermione woke, yawning as she stretched her aching back, when she realized that she was on the ground. Groaning, she sat up to see Ginny waking as well.

When Ginny saw Hermione, she smiled, wiping away any last vestiges from the previous night. As if by some unspoken agreement, they had resolved to not bring up the night before.

Ginny sat up in her bed, ruffling her bed-head and yawning. "What are you doing on the ground there, Hermione?" she questioned groggily.

"Absolutely nothing," Hermione responded, leaping to her feet and then instantly regretting it as her legs began to wobble and she plopped down right next to Ginny.

"Right..." Ginny said sarcastically, shoving herself off the bed to brush her teeth and fix her hair, though it probably looked remarkably better than Hermione's did at that point.

"Do you want to stay for breakfast?" Ginny asked as she hacked away at her ginger locks. "Harry should be home any minute." As if on cue, the door opened. "That'll be him," she said, laughing.

"What did your mother think about the whole 'living with Harry' situation?" Hermione asked jokingly.

Ginny chuckled nervously. "She had a fit. But we are getting married in less than two weeks, and Sirius was already connected to the floo before we moved in, so she can reach us whenever she needs to. She finally conceded, as you can see."

Hermione nodded, grinning. "Oh, and I'd love to stay for breakfast," she added.

Smiling, the two of them made their way downstairs to Harry.

"Hello, love," Ginny said to Harry as he set his stuff on the table, and he engulfed her in a large hug, picking her up and kissing her. "How was work? Oh, and I hope you don't mind, but Hermione is going to be staying for breakfast."

Harry glanced up at Hermione and smiled before resuming talking to Ginny, while Hermione stood there awkwardly, third-wheeling all over the room.

After a few more minutes of being ignored by the two love birds, she decided that she would be making them breakfast. As she strolled into the kitchen, she glanced at her two friends to find that they were snogging, completely oblivious to the fact that their house guest still existed.

Sighing, she grabbed a frying pan, and began to make eggs, using her wand to speed up the process. After slicing up some fruit, she grabbed three plates and three forks and arranged the food on the dishes, before walking out of the kitchen and placing the breakfast on their table.

Since Harry and Ginny were still sucking their faces off, Hermione cleared her throat to get their attention. They quickly broke apart, blushing. "Sorry, Hermione," they said in unison like little kids who got in trouble.

Hermione laughed, and they sat down at the dining table to eat.

They idly chatted about work and the marriage law for around forty five minutes, before Hermione excused herself.

Waving goodbye, she disapparated into her flat to find a letter stuck in the mail slot in her door. She hadn't been expecting anything from Malfoy, so she confusedly pulled out the envelope, and began to inspect it carefully. There was a Ministry of Magic seal on the front, which made it all the more bewildering.

Dear Ms. Granger,

We are pleased to inform you that we wish to offer you a job interview as the assistant head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. If you are interested, please send a reply as soon as conveniently possible, and we shall set up a time and a date.

Best of wishes,

Dahlia Raymond, head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures

Hermione internally screamed - no, scratch that. Hermione physically screamed. This was the best news she could have imagined. Why did they pick her? Why did her dream job pick her without her even applying? She hadn't even known there was a position open!

She quickly grabbed a piece of spare parchment, and wrote a reply, trying to sound as professional as possible. After rereading it, she quickly used her wand to erase it and tried again. She repeated this process until the fifth try, when she deemed it sufficient enough. Excitedly apparating to Diagon Alley, she located the owlery, and proceeded to send her letter.

Still squealing by the time she made it home, she began to mentally prepare for the interview, until a certain thought surfaced:

Draco


Sorry this was pretty much a filler chapter, but it needed to be there.

Up next: Ginny's wedding!

R&R please!