"And I was thinking that maybe we could…Hermione?"

Pause.

"Hermione?"

Another pause.

"EARTH TO HERMIONE!"

Hermione jumped about a foot and looked around, startled. Her gaze met Gemma's, the other witch looking mildly exasperated but also rather amused.

"Oh, goodness, Gemma, I'm so sorry!" Hermione said. "I really was off in my own little world, wasn't I? Some example I'm setting…"

"It happens to the best of us," Gemma said with a shrug. "I know you have other things on your mind." She smirked as she nodded towards the ring glittering on Hermione's left hand. Hermione shook her head.

"Newly engaged or not, that doesn't excuse my behavior," she said firmly. "I'm supposed to be helping you plan this class, not dancing off into Dreamland." Gemma laughed heartily.

"Hermione, don't worry about it," she said sincerely. "Nobody's perfect, and you certainly have a lot on your mind. Now, I was thinking about what you said the other day, about wanting to do something special to spice things up."

"Do you have any ideas?" Hermione asked almost desperately, her full attention suddenly returning. "I really do think we need something, but I haven't the faintest idea where to start!" While their classes had been going well, the two young women wanted to do something more than just lecture all year – for one thing, monotony really wasn't the way to go if they wanted to leave a lasting impression, and for another, they wanted a way for their students to apply what they'd learned. Part of what had made Draco's lessons so successful was the hands-on aspect, and Hermione really wanted to do something similar with the Hogwarts students. However, many of the things Hermione had done with Draco weren't possible now – taking one person somewhere was one thing; taking hundreds of teenagers to that same place was something different entirely. Perhaps they might be able to swing a trip to a Muggle village for the seventh-year class as a sort of 'graduation', a chance to put their skills into practice before entering the real world, but planning something like that for the entire school was extremely impractical. If they were going to do a whole-school event, it would have to take place on the Hogwarts grounds.

"I do have an idea, actually," Gemma replied. "What if we organized a carnival?"

"A carnival?" Hermione cocked her head, intrigued.

"Yes. If we do it in the summer term, it'll be warm enough that no one will mind being outside, and we can have it on the lawn," Gemma explained. "We can offer a mix of Muggle and magical activities – games, or perhaps a sports tournament – and of course food. Perhaps each year group can be in charge of planning something, and we can throw in a few ideas of our own as well."

"And I'm sure we can find some way to work in currency," Hermione chimed in. "Real carnivals charge tickets for their rides and games, and those tickets cost money – obviously, it wouldn't be fair to some students if we charged real money, but play money might do the trick."

"Exactly!" Gemma agreed. "We can incorporate loads of things from both cultures into one big event. It'll be a change from our usual format, and the students will feel invested in the carnival because they'll have a say in creating it."

"I love the idea," Hermione said. "Thank you, Gemma."

"You're very welcome. My brothers and I used to go to a local carnival all the time when we were kids – obviously, I haven't been in years, but I still remember some of our favorite activities."

"We'll have to start planning soon, so that we have time to acquire everything we need, and so that the students have enough time to brainstorm," Hermione said. "Especially for the older students, because we don't want them to have to worry about planning a carnival on top of revising for OWLs and NEWTs."

"I agree," Gemma said. "We'll definitely want to have the carnival after those exams are over – in fact, we could probably wait until all exams are finished, since there's usually at least a few days between the last exam and the Express' departure. That way, it could be a last treat before the students head home for the summer."

"That sounds good," Hermione agreed. "Of course, we'll have to run all this by the headmistress before we get too into anything, but it helps that we have a solid idea of what we're looking to do."

"It does. Now, we don't want to do too much before we talk to McGonagall, but let's get a basic framework done, and then we should go over tomorrow's lesson for the fourth-years. I had something that I wanted to try…"


The following Friday found Hermione in good spirits. She and Gemma had gotten the seal of approval from Professor McGonagall for their carnival idea, and those students they'd seen since their meeting with the headmistress had been enthusiastic as well, some even already putting forth suggestions for possible activities. Hermione and Gemma had instructed the students to brainstorm ideas for homework – it would be a while yet before anything was finalized in terms of who was in charge of what, but the more ideas they had to work with early on, the easier things would be when they really sunk their teeth into the planning.

In addition to the positive initial response to the carnival, Hermione was looking forward to dinner with her parents that evening. They weren't always able to keep to their usual first-Friday-of-the-month routine due to Hermione's responsibilities, but they still tried to meet once a month. Hermione wasn't scheduled to patrol that weekend, and so she was going home. As the distance was just slightly too far for Hermione to comfortably Apparate – long-distance Apparition was possible, of course, but it was extremely draining, and Hermione did plan to return to Hogwarts that same night – she would be taking a Portkey, which would deposit her in the same secluded spot in her parents' backyard that she used for Apparition. Hermione dressed in warm, comfortable clothes, attended to Artemis' needs, and secured her living quarters, the little figurine that was her Portkey tucked safely in her coat pocket. After the war, the Hogwarts wards were stronger than ever, meaning that direct travel from inside the castle wasn't possible, barring a temporary Floo connection from the Headmistress' office in case of an emergency, and so Hermione set off on a brisk walk across the grounds, her shoulders scrunched up against the frigid January air. Once outside the gates, she retrieved the figurine, whispered the activation spell, and disappeared.

It was raining at the elder Grangers', and Hermione hurried as quickly as she could towards the house to avoid the worst of the cold water. She knocked sharply on the back door, and it wasn't long before her father answered.

"Hello, sweetheart!" he said, drawing his daughter into a warm hug. Hermione sank into the embrace, relishing in the familiar feeling. She'd always loved her dad's hugs, and especially after the war and wondering if she'd ever get another chance to hug him again, she never took them for granted.

"It's good to see you too, Dad," Hermione said, smiling up at him. John Granger's eyes crinkled at the edges behind his glasses as he returned the gesture, and after removing her coat and boots, Hermione followed him into the living room. Hermione's mother rose from the couch when she caught sight of her husband and daughter.

"Good to see you, darling." Margaret Granger greeted her daughter with a kiss on the cheek, then resumed her seat and patted the spot next to her. "Dinner isn't quite ready, but of course that doesn't mean we can't catch up a bit beforehand. How is everything at Hogwarts?"

Hermione barely refrained from beaming. When she had first reversed the memory charm after the war, her mother in particular had been so angry and upset about what Hermione had done that Hermione hadn't been able to talk about anything related to magic for a very long time. Even now, she always thought carefully about what topics were safe to discuss. It was a testament to how far her parents had come that her mother was able to speak that name without flinching or affecting some other unflattering facial expression.

"Things are going very well, Mum," Hermione said. "Gemma came up with the idea of having a carnival that will allow our students to showcase what they've learned."

"That sounds like a brilliant idea," her father enthused. "I take it the carnival will give the students a chance to practice their skills?"

"Exactly." Hermione nodded. "When I was working with Draco, so much of his learning was hands-on, but it's not really practical to take the entirety of Hogwarts to a Muggle village like I was able to do with him. The students really do need a way to practice, though, and we also wanted to do something that deviated a bit from our standard lectures."

"Well, you want to leave a good impression, of course," Margaret said. Hermione nodded again.

"We do. This first year is so important, so we need to make sure that we're getting our message across in the right ways. Just throwing information at them isn't enough – we need to make sure the students know that they all have a place in the world, no matter which path they ultimately choose, and that they have what they need to succeed."

"I don't think you have anything to worry about there," John said. "You've proven time and time again how capable you are through your own schooling, and of course, there's Draco. Not that long ago, he didn't know much of anything about our world, and that's obviously changed."

"He wouldn't have lasted ten minutes in the Muggle world a few years ago," Hermione said with a slight giggle. "We started from scratch with his lessons, and now look at him – he's made new friends, and regularly goes into Muggle London on his own and fares splendidly." A slight frown flashed across Margaret's face then, her expression suggesting she'd thought of something she didn't like – it was fleeting, but Hermione, senses honed and instincts sharp from the war, noticed.

"Something wrong, Mum?" she asked. Margaret shook her head as if to bring herself out of whatever funk she'd gotten into.

"Nothing, dear," she replied, though the sincerity didn't reach her eyes. Hermione knew her mother wasn't entirely being honest with her, but before she could push the issue, the oven timer dinged, and the three Grangers were soon distracted with setting out the food and preparing to eat. All through dinner, they talked of what the elder Grangers had been up to recently – Hermione laughed loudly at her dad's recounting of the latest football match he'd watched, which apparently had been quite the nail-biter – and it wasn't until the food was cleared away and they were back in the living room that Hermione had the chance to revisit the topic of her mother's strange look.

"Mum, I know something's wrong," she said. "I know you don't necessarily like when I mention it, but I have been through a war, and because of those experiences, I'm far more perceptive than most people. Please, tell me what's bothering you." Margaret Granger sighed.

"Hermione…" she paused for a moment, as if unsure of how she should word her question. "Do you want your non-magical friends to be involved with your wedding?" Hermione tilted her head to one side in confusion. She hadn't expected such a question, nor could she fathom how it connected to her mother's discomfort.

"Of course," she said slowly. "I haven't yet decided anything about my wedding party other than Ginny as my Matron of Honor, of course, so I'm not sure how many attendants I'll have or who they'll be, but at the very least, I expect to invite them. Why do you ask?"

"Hermione, dear…how is that going to work? I assume that there are differences between magical and non-magical weddings – what is Draco expecting?"

Hermione thought about her mother's question for a moment and quickly grew uncomfortable when she realized she didn't have a concrete answer. She hadn't been to many Wizarding weddings – Bill and Fleur's, and Harry and Ginny's, of course – but however different those weddings had been, they did share a few key elements in common, elements that were most definitely not present in Muggle weddings. Magic was visibly used in the ceremonies, and Hermione hadn't even considered what could prove to be a crucial detail. Had Draco thought of this? And if he had, what were his thoughts on it? Sure, he'd come a long way in terms of his ability to navigate the Muggle world, but he was still a pureblood wizard, still incredibly proud of his customs, and Hermione was sure he would want to include those customs in something as important as his wedding day. But Cat, Dave, and the others were some of her closest friends – how could she possibly explain not even inviting them to the wedding? They already knew she and Draco were engaged, so it wasn't like she could just pretend she hadn't told them…and even the mere thought of doing so made her feel terrible…

"Hermione? Are you alright, sweetheart?" Hermione looked up into her father's concerned face.

"I…no, I'm not," she finally said. "Mum's question…it wasn't something I'd thought about, to be honest, and I truly don't know how Draco feels about the idea. He's good friends with a few of my Muggle friends as well, but…well, there are parts of Wizarding marriages that wouldn't be able to be explained away, and I can't just ask him to ignore those traditions – they're a huge part of who he is, and taking that away just wouldn't feel right." Hermione groaned and dropped her head in her hands. "I just don't know what to do!"

"I'm sorry, darling," Margaret said as she scooted closer and rubbed her daughter's back. "I didn't mean to cause you so much distress. I just wanted to make sure that you hadn't overlooked what seems to be an important detail."

"It is important," Hermione agreed with a sigh. "I just…I can't not invite my Muggle friends; they mean too much to me, but I can't ask Draco to drop all of his traditions, either. Our two cultures should balance, not fight – and if anything, the Wizarding customs should end up more prominent, not the other way around."

"I think you need to talk to Draco and see what he thinks," her mother said, her hand still resting on her daughter's back. When Hermione looked up in what could only be described as horrified shock, Margaret continued, "I'm not saying it'll be an easy conversation, because it won't, but it's one you need to have, Hermione. Draco cares for you a great deal, and this is a big thing – you need to be honest with him, and sooner rather than later. Keeping secrets will lead to nothing but trouble." That last bit, at least, Hermione couldn't argue with – she, Harry, and Ron had faced plenty of terrible setbacks during the war due to secrets.

"I know. It's just…it's hard." There was a lengthy silence following Hermione's declaration. Her parents hated seeing her so upset, and Hermione herself hated feeling so helpless.

"Hermione?" Hermione looked up at her father.

"Dad?"

"Draco loves you, without a doubt – I knew it from the moment he showed up here the day your class was approved." Hermione remembered that day well. In a state of euphoria after the verdict, she'd kissed Draco for the first time, that euphoria quickly morphing into horror as she realized she'd just kissed the man who was – she thought – still dating one of her best friends. When Draco had found out about Hermione's misconception – from Harry, no less, who'd witnessed a large portion of what had happened – Draco had contacted Cat for Hermione's address, and the two of them had gone to set things straight. Draco had been uncharacteristically open and emotional, apologizing profusely to Hermione and all but begging for her forgiveness.

"He showed me he was sincere right from the start, and I have no reason to believe that he'll behave otherwise now," John continued, interrupting Hermione's musings about the past. "Talk to him, be honest about your feelings like he was for you, and I'm sure you'll make it work somehow." Hermione smiled a little sadly.

"I hope so, Dad. I hope so." Her parents were right. Whether she liked it or not, she had to talk to Draco – and soon.


A/N: Hi, everyone. Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out - the last two weeks have been really rough for me for a number of reasons, & I just kind of lost my spark - for pretty much everything, not just writing. I have my birthday buddy to thank for making things better - at work, we choose buddies from a hat to anonymously treat on their birthdays, & my buddy made me an entire HP-themed display! Cupcakes with lightning bolts & brooms on them, 'magic wands' (chocolate-covered pretzels), & a gift bag filled with HP goodies. It was a bit belated (my birthday was Dec. 1), but it absolutely made my day & made everything so much better. So...here I am. :D

Lots to think about in this chapter - Muggle friends certainly do complicate planning a Wizarding wedding! Hopefully Draco & Hermione can work something out...

Thank you all for your support of this story. Every follow, favorite, & review makes me smile, truly, so thank you all so, so much.

JKR owns all things Potter, I just play. Please R&R, & enjoy! :)