Years From Now
Chapter 14
November 12, 2008
It was the early morning and Harry went about collecting the last of his belongings, trying to not look at Hermione watching him anxiously from her bed. He put the items in the magicked bag he was taking for the mission and focused on cataloging them instead of speaking to her just yet. It was mostly essentials in the pack, including another uniform, dragon hide gloves, his Cloak, a couple healing potions, his broom, a toothbrush, and clean undergarments, as there were only so many things one should bring on a recon assignment. Efficiency and stealth were the priorities, not comfort.
When everything he needed was in the bag, Harry sighed and steeled himself before finally peering at her.
"Nothing else, then," he remarked. Hermione swallowed and nodded, eyes still glued to him. He looked at her analog wall clock as another last ditch distraction. He had to be at the Ministry in about 15 minutes to take the international Portkey.
The witch's gaze had not strayed from him once and Harry knew he could not avoid her and the emotion between them anymore. He shook his head and walked to the edge of the bed before taking her face in his hands. He kissed her soundly and she took no time to respond in kind.
"It's seven days. That's it," he mentioned when he pulled away.
"Seven days." Hermione repeated. Her face was still cradled in his hands.
"That's only a week."
"Yes." She did not voice that a week seemed significantly longer when the person you loved was doing something dangerous during that time, compounded by the fact that there would be no contact whatsoever.
"I won't be alone." Harry noted.
"You won't, no," she acknowledged. (This fact is what gave the brunette the most comfort, actually).
"You will have plenty of things to keep you occupied, Madam Granger. You probably won't even notice I'm gone before I'm back."
"I most definitely will notice!"
The Auror laughed and kissed her again and Hermione accepted it with avarice.
"I'd tell you to feed my pet while I'm gone but I don't have one," he noted, smirking slightly, "How about you check on my godson once or twice instead?"
The witch flashed a small smile and nodded once more. There was a number of things she wanted to tell him but it seemed she could not do anything but stare in his too familiar, cherished eyes. She wanted to tell him she was scared. Hermione had marked faith in Harry and his skills as an Auror but she also, inherently, worried about him. And she would not know a thing about his well being for seven days (or up to ten!) while he was on the hunt for a merciless criminal.
She told herself she was overreacting and ordered herself to get a grip on her emotions before they became so obvious they made Harry feel badly and get his mission off to an unnecessarily stressful start. Conversely, the wizard was too attuned to Hermione to not sense her moderate distress and his countenance changed just enough to convey his understanding. Hell, he knew half of what she was feeling because he felt it too! He would certainly miss her during his short time away.
"I'll be all right, Hermione. I promise. I will." Harry assured in a low voice. He rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs.
"I know. I know. Objectively, I know!," she claimed, squeezing the rest of his fingers, "But I still wish you could come back into this bed and forget about this mission altogether. That's the selfish part of me."
"You and selfish do not belong in the same sentence."
"Yes we do. When it comes to you, yes."
Harry's face crinkled in emotion and he released a heavy exhale before quickly slanting his mouth over hers once more. As before, Hermione returned it eagerly, but these kisses were different than the others in that they were faster and more torrid. His hands had held her face since he walked to the bed yet hers were now gripping the front of his scarlet robes, and when their tongues pushed against each other, she tugged on them. She kept tugging on them until Harry wobbled forward a bit and put down a hand to brace himself; Hermione used this opportunity to throw both arms around his neck and pull him down on top of her.
He made a noise in his throat but did not break from their kissing. His hands relocated and wove into her brown mane while hers were determined and on a set course of their own. At some point Hermione had wiggled out of the bed sheets and freed her lower body, and she wrapped her legs around Harry's calves as her busy hands fell down to the crotch of his black slacks.
The wizard did not feel her pop the button but he surely heard the zipper, and this is when he pulled away from her lips with a deep inhale of air.
"Hermione-" he commenced.
He'd figured a long, heated make out session during the short time frame he had before needing to leave for his Portkey would be a wonderful way to spend it, but it seemed his fiancee wanted more and Harry was unsure if he could give it with the very real time limit he had.
"Just… just quickly! Please!," Hermione implored, "Harry."
God. She sounded and looked so… so everything! Loving, sad, lustful, worried, frantic… could he really turn her down? Could he withhold comfort that she clearly needed? It was obvious the witch was looking for comfort, for assurance, through physical intimacy and Harry knew the answer was no- he could withhold it. He sighed internally.
"Quickly," he mentioned before molding his mouth back to hers.
"Yes!" Hermione uttered, nodding vigorously and yanking his zipper down with zeal.
He was inside of her not even 20 seconds later, thrusting hard and sure without delay. Her mouth was pressed to Harry's throat and her left hand rested in the hair at the nape of his neck. Her body was ready enough to not make it uncomfortable for either of them yet they were both aware that it could and would have been much more prepared to receive him if not for the time restraint. Consequently, there was no end goal for Hermione that included the pinnacle of her pleasure. She had not wanted sex to guarantee she get off but she had wanted it to be as close to Harry as she could. She had wanted it to feel and savor him, to remember this feeling and level of connection so she could easily recall it during the next seven days and nights she would be without him.
"Deeper," she whispered before sucking a point on his throat. The wizard gave a heartfelt moan and changed his position, and her legs, just so in order to fulfill the request. This pulled a pleased sound from her.
Hermione had been the one needy enough to start this between them but, as the seconds passed and Harry was more cognizant of the ticking time, the realization that he would not be allowed to see her for the upcoming week, and the physical peak he was rapidly pushing his body toward, he became just as needy. His pumps were anything but shallow but they also increased in speed, and he grabbed and lifted the back of her knees to aid his stroking.
"Kiss me." Harry huffed. Hermione complied and moved her lips from his neck back to his face, only to be met with a rough kiss before his tongue invaded her mouth.
She mewled and put her arms around his neck in a taut hold. She found that it was getting to be difficult keeping up with the force of Harry's movements but it did not matter; this was all about feeling him anyway and that was being accomplished twice over. The pair had been intimate the previous night in anticipation of his departure but it had not been like this. This was desperate and unexpected and every second of it was perfect.
"Yes!" Hermione gasped with closed eyes. Only a handful of moments later, right around the five minute mark after starting, the Auror cried out and his hips stuttered. His hold on the back of her knees became vice like as he spilled into her, punctuated by a staccato of groans.
They laid in their positions for a minute- her arms around his neck, her legs in his hands, his body sprawled on hers- both fighting for breath, but Harry more so.
"If Robards sacks me for being late and missing the Portkey, you're explaining to him that it's your fault because you wanted a farewell shag," he noted in a guttural voice. Hermione laughed.
"Fine. It was worth your job, I think," the brunette consented. She directed his face to hers and placed a small kiss on his lips.
"I've got to go."
"I know."
Harry gave her another kiss and then disentangled himself, glancing hurriedly at the clock. He had a few minutes. He righted his underwear, pants, and everything else about his uniform their quickie had set awry before using a simple charm to freshen everything. He then grabbed his bag, wand, and turned back to Hermione.
"I love you." Harry stated.
"I love you," the witch echoed. She rose to meet him for one last, lingering kiss.
"Seven days."
Hermione nodded and, with two minutes to spare, watched her fiance disappear before her. She gave a great sigh as she sunk back down on the bed. She still had two hours until she had to be at the Ministry and could go back to sleep for at least half of that, but she knew it would not happen. She was awake and would remain awake due to thoughts of Harry. The Muggleborn also expected a memo from Robards to find her that morning to officially inform her that Captain Potter had been deployed at 6:45AM, something they both knew she knew already.
Hermione moved to get up and put fresh water out for Hermes before she remembered he was gone and would likely not be back until the evening or tomorrow. She had had to write a message yesterday to the estate agent Ron linked them to in order to request a reschedule of their first appointment due to Harry's sudden travel for work. Originally the couple was going to meet him on Saturday afternoon but it would have to wait until the Auror returned, which Hermione noted was not yet known. The agent- Melvin, was his first name- understood and informed her to simply contact him when Harry got back.
Frowning a bit from no longer having a task, she fell back flat on the mattress and stared at the ceiling, listening to the ticking hands of the clock. Harry had been right- as Head of the DMLE, there would be plenty to keep her occupied in the upcoming week. Hermione only hoped it was effective enough to make the time seem to pass faster because that would mean she would have him back sooner. Pouting and not particularly caring that she sounded like a four year old, she pulled the blanket over her head and turned to lie on her stomach.
Friday came two days later and the brunette received another piece of correspondence from G. The paper was in the form of a wand and Lottie was aware of it this time- for the first time. Accordingly, it had been given to her with the report that it had come from level four. However, when it unfurled before Hermione's eyes, two simple sentences had been present:
Have it your way, Madam Granger. You will assume responsibility for much of what is to come and know it could have happened differently.
G
She did not doubt that G had seen the article she drafted that had been published, and from the sound of it she or he did not appreciate the message. Hermione shared the new development with Robards and Cassandra and handed over the parchment. They hypothesized about "what is to come" and the diverse acts that it could entail but, the following day, they saw for themselves. All of the UK saw for itself, as did Croatia and Turkey.
Hermione had one of her three monthly meetings that Saturday morning: a meeting with all of the Heads of the divisions in her department. It had gone well and concluded in two hours, so by the time it was 11:30AM she had the rest of the day to herself. The witch considered what to do as she made lunch at her apartment and thought this was the third day Harry had been gone. (She noted, happily, it had come quickly and she had not thought about her fiance excessively during the time). Conversely, after eating her meal and getting ready to settle in with a fiction novel for an hour, any plans Hermione had for the Saturday were essentially scrapped.
At 1:38PM, three corresponding attacks in Manchester, Dubrovnik, and Istanbul occurred all at once. An important structure in each of the cities' magical communities exploded in a spectacular way and written conspicuously near each site was a single phrase: Magicals, rise! Hermione was called to the Manchester location an hour after it happened and saw multiple Ministry employees from the DMLE and the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes bustling around the scene, including Robards and a group of Aurors. There was also a sizeable group of witnesses watching it all and many of them had been interviewed. She spoke to a number of people though it mostly centered around the Head Auror, the first two Aurors on the scene, and the Head of the DMLE's Investigation Department.
Hermione spent nearly two hours on the scene before she took her leave. She returned home and was particularly agitated but it helped to serve as fuel as she started documenting all she had done and all that had happened while on the scene. Kingsley would receive a detailed written report by the morning which meant many people would be working for the rest of the evening into the night; the Minister would call a meeting with on Monday to officially discuss the attack as well. Much of the brunette's agitation while she sat at her home desk and wrote fervently came from her belief that G was behind the explosion. Robards agreed with her postulation but it was not included in Hermione's write up as there was not conclusive proof. However, this was something she was going to discuss during the Monday meeting. She did not think it was coincidental that she received a message from G and the very next day there was a strike that encourages witches and wizards to rise up. She went to bed later than she would have liked (although it was due to her whirring brain and not the report) and her last thought before she surrendered to sleep was if Harry had heard about the attacks, wherever he was….
Hermione spoke to Ron and Luna the following day in the afternoon through a fire call.
"Were you there?" Ron asked, holding up the Sunday edition of the newspaper in front of his face.
Half of the front page had a large photo of the destroyed Manchester site and was followed by a lengthy article that continued on page two. As always, there had been designated Ministry employees responsible for providing the press with satisfactory information about the attack without oversharing or compromising facts about the situation since it was an active investigation. The article also mentioned the identical strikes in Turkey and Croatia, which the British Ministry had become aware of hours after the Manchester explosion. This meant that Hermione would be speaking to the nations' corresponding magical governments to corroborate in the upcoming week.
"Yes," the Muggleborn exhaled, "And then I spent the rest of the night married to parchment."
"Culprit wasn't caught, obviously," the red head stated.
"No."
"Magicals rise," Luna said, pushing half of her face into the fireplace, "Do you think it's that G person? I thought about the message that was left and what you said about them in the piece you wrote."
"Yes," Hermione confirmed, frowning.
"I don't think the Prophet mentioned them." Ron commented, looking back at the paper.
"No. It's too soon to throw out there- not off one incident. We don't want to frighten people into thinking there's a new dark lord fully formed and ready to bring destruction. But I would bet anything that it is G. We'll be discussing it more tomorrow."
"It sounds like your weekend was hijacked by work." Luna mentioned.
"Very much." Hermione remarked, giving a tired smile.
"Never a dull moment, Madam Granger! The life of the Head of the DMLE." Ron said. His best friend gave a tired laugh to match the smile and rubbed her eyes.
"Well, let's get your mind off it for a bit! Come have supper with us tomorrow night," the blonde witch stated in a cheerful voice, "You'll have enough to deal with during the day so let us handle feeding you."
"Really?" Hermione wondered after a pause. She appeared a bit surprised and pleased.
"Of course!"
"Yes, let us feed you, Herms! You can have what the twins will be having." Ron added with a grin.
"Breast milk?," the brunette asked with an offended laugh, "You cad!"
"It's all we can offer you," he answered.
Luna made the offer in part to help alleviate some of Hermione's stress that had been borne from this unanticipated event, but it was more so to provide Hermione with the company of loved ones, to give her social comfort in lieu of Harry being gone for four days already. She and Ron wanted to make his time away easier for her.
"Oh, Ronald!" Luna said, shaking her head with a smile. She looked back at the other woman, "As much as Reagan and Liam may rave about my milk, we'll have something even better for you, Hermione. All you have to do is come over."
"Yes, all right," she consented, sounding content.
"Great! Be here at seven." Ron directed.
Unsurprisingly, Hermione's Monday was long. She spent half of it in meetings, most of which were about the Manchester attack and the first of which was the longest and involved Kingsley. The biggest takeaway was that they would wait for another incident that implicated G before assembling an official team tasked to focus on the threat of this person, which would most likely be led by Cassandra as she was already involved in a similar capacity. She was happy to go home that evening at 6 o'clock (after bypassing a few reporters wanting a word with her about any new engagement developments) and even happier when she was reminded that she did not have to cook herself dinner.
The witch Apparated to Ron's and Luna's exactly at 7PM and was greeted by Luna and Reagan. The baby was being tempted with a rattle by her mother and her face was staring at it in concentration while her tiny hands attempted to grab it. Hermione immediately felt her heart melt and she tapped Reagan's nose before placing a soft kiss on her head, which did not distract the infant from her pursuit of the rattle in the slightest. They found Ron in the informal dining room floating dishes to the table with his wand and holding a gurgling Liam firmly in his left arm. Hermione gave both males kisses on their cheeks before offering to take Liam, whom his father surrendered so he could finish setting up. Luna took a seat and the brunette shared a bit about her day, giving some of the information in baby talk directed at the boy in her arms; he soon smiled at her and Hermione's heart melted for a second time.
The adults were eating ten minutes later with the babies placed right next to them in comfortable baby rockers with stimulating, magical toys attached. Hermione told the couple about her visit with Teddy and Andromeda yesterday in the early evening and they told her Luna had been asked to be an editor for an impending journal of magical creature articles. The trio talked about Wheezes, the wedding in May, Angelina's pregnancy, and planning a group vacation somewhere next summer before the twins stole their focus once more.
"I can't believe they'll be three months soon!" Hermione remarked, watching Reagan kick out her legs.
"Mental, in'it? I swear we were in St. Mungo's just yesterday." Ron said. Luna hummed in agreement and smoothed down Reagan's strawberry-blond hair. The color tickled Hermione as she thought it was a perfect mixture of the parents' hair and she said as much.
"Ron's convinced it'll get darker." Luna revealed.
"Not every Weasley has red hair," the Muggleborn pointed out, smirking some.
"Not this new generation, anyway!," he attested, "None of Bill's kids do, only Lucy does of Percy's, and, with Angelina's lovely brown skin, I doubt her kid with George will have it either."
"You're a dying breed, Ron. My apologies."
Luna smiled at the sarcasm and the wizard grinned before turning it on his wife and saying:
"Of course, we can always just have another go and hope the next baby holds up tradition."
She gazed back at him lovingly and Ron brought up her hand to his mouth before kissing her knuckles, his smile morphing into a small smirk.
"Do you want more children?" Hermione questioned, bringing one of her feet onto the flat part of her chair. She felt touched by their affection and surprised she did not know the answer to her query.
"Yes," nodded Luna, still smiling, "At least one more, though I'd be happy with four." The older witch's brows rose in amazement. Four children for her best friends! She tried to picture it in her head.
"Maybe we'll get lucky again and have another set of twins," laughed Ron, bringing his glass up to his lips.
"Of course, if we want Liam and Reagan to have siblings then we need to be able to make them, and our sex life has changed since they were born."
The red head gagged on the liquid that was passing down his throat and Hermione's eyes widened in shocked amusement yet Luna pressed on unaffected.
"We'll have to ask our parents to watch them more often when we're ready to shag like mad again," she mentioned before looking at Hermione, "Babies can get in the way of that rather nicely."
"I can imagine!" the brunette claimed, grinning widely and snorting once.
"W-We manage just fine! I mean, y-yeah, it's changed, for now!, but we still, still…" Ron spluttered. However, he trailed off while peering between the two women.
"Oh Merlin. Why am I having this conversation with my, my… with-" he muttered.
"Your best friend?," Hermione supplied with the grin still present, "Surely you talk about sex with Harry or Seamus freely and it's not this awkward for you, Ron!"
Luna chuckled and her husband's ears reddened until they were the same color as his hair.
"I think Reagan needs a new nappy!" Ron suddenly declared. He sprung up and quickly removed his daughter from her rocker then marched out of the room. The women giggled while Luna fixed the sock on Liam's left foot.
"When he wants to be suggestive it's fine but anything direct, especially coming from me, is too much. Some things never change." Hermione claimed, giving a good natured shake of her head.
"He may have passed out if we'd started in on your sex life with Harry," the blonde stated.
They laughed once more and then a natural silence befell them, during which they listened to the faint music coming from Liam's rocker and his mild coos.
"How are you doing? With Harry?" Luna pondered in a kind voice. It had not been lost on her that the dark haired wizard had been referenced twice in less than five minutes and five times overall all night, but they had not yet discussed how Hermione was handling his absence.
"More like without him," she replied, flicking a toy on the rocker. (The baby followed its movement with his eyes). It was silent for a stint and Luna waited patiently for her friend to say more.
"I've been preoccupied with work since Friday but I have missed him. I've thought of him every day- I just haven't had time to dwell on it." Hermione added.
"That's a good thing, yes?"
"Yes."
"And he comes home soon?" Luna prompted.
"Less than two days," stated Hermione, giving a genuine, small smile.
"And when he does, you'll be the first person he runs to see!... then you two can shag like mad."
Consequently, Harry stayed on the Muggleborn's mind the rest of the night and her thoughts of him grew in frequency. Once she returned home, she spent 20 minutes huddled on her couch fiddling with and staring at her sapphire ring, questioning what Harry was doing, if he was making progress, and if he was safe. By the time Hermione settled down for sleep at a quarter to 11PM, she wanted to gasp from how engulfed she felt from the feeling of missing him. She had to take a couple deep breaths and remind herself that this was, probably, only for another night and then Harry would be home.
Hermione had her first dream about him since his departure that night and she woke up on Tuesday morning feeling a bit morose. However, something happened while she was eating lunch with Padma (whom she had run into when first entering Diagon) that lifted her spirits and caused some teasing from her lunch mate: she received a letter from Viktor Krum. Hermione skimmed it and shared her findings before stowing it away and vowing to read it later. Krum expressed enthusiastic congratulations for her engagement and apologized for not being able to reach out before now. She, consequently, understood as he now acted as a consulting coach to teams since his retirement and was much sought after. He also mentioned a desire to see her and Harry and suggested they attempt to work something out within the next two months.
Krum would always be dear to Hermione. While any and all romantic feelings for him had faded years ago, she would always have a soft spot for him that 15 year old Hermione had reserved for him, for the first man to make her feel special and desired and seen. Of course, young adult Hermione had taken the wizard's admiration for her to a level where adolescent Hermione would have blushed heavily and only considered in her deepest, most sordid fantasies.
To put it bluntly, the brunette had a small fling with Krum in her early 20s. It was during the three year gap between her relationships with Ron and Harry, shortly after her breakup from Isaac, and it had been cursory. She had been single for two months when she received an actual visit from Krum at the Ministry one day. He informed her he was in Wales for the week on Quidditch business, of course, and asked if she would like to join him for the weekend so they could catch up. Hermione had been rather quick to accept his invitation, something that had even surprised herself, but she had been restless, overthinking, and dissatisfied from a failed relationship and looking for a meaningful distraction. Consequently, she took that Friday off from work and spent a three day weekend with Viktor in Wales, where she had zero problem being distracted.
Their physical intimacy had been unplanned but intense, and it had been all about Hermione. Krum used his hands and mouth to show her just how much he favored her and he was damn good at it (something the woman later wondered if it was just a Seeker trait, considering Harry's similar prowess), but they never crossed the line to full blown sex. She was willing and expressed this but the Bulgarian wizard insisted he only wanted to take care of her that weekend, informing her that they could wait to do that another time- their next time. The problem was that a second time for them never manifested, and Hermione found herself in a serendipitous relationship with Harry at age 23 that was the starting point of where she was now. Additionally, enough time had passed that the witch could think back on that weekend and feel fondness but not longing or wistfulness. She did not regret it and knew she needed it then for a variety of reasons, but the only person she continually longed for now was Harry.
Hermione was on edge all of Wednesday. Not a second passed where she felt tranquil and Moody would have been proud due to her level of vigilance. She attempted to stay on level two for the majority of her shift in case she were to receive word of Harry's arrival, in case Robards, his assistant, or her own assistant came to deliver the news that Captain Potter was back. The witch even caught Robards' eye a few times that day and exchanged tight smiles with him while her eyes conveyed her hopeful agitation, but she crawled into bed that night later than usual without her fiance by her side or word that he had returned.
Ron fire called Hermione the following evening when she was at Grimmauld checking in on Kreacher and the home itself. She appreciated the contact and appreciated it even more because he was upfront that he reached out to see how she was doing in relation to Harry (and the Auror being one day late in getting home). They spoke for 15 minutes and he assured her their best friend was on his mind as well before he reminded her that he was only one "swish of a wand away" before the two ended their conversation. On Friday, the brunette had lunch with Hannah at the blonde's request. It was clear to Hannah that her friend was fretful but was attempting to hide it, and when the Hufflepuff called her out Hermione acknowledged she was overwrought before trying to rationalize.
"Technically the mission was given up to ten days and it's been nine, so there's still one day left," she explained, "I… I shouldn't be this noticeably upset."
"I think it's mostly noticeable because I know you," Hannah said, smiling fondly, "And who says you shouldn't be upset? Why can't you be? Who cares whether or not the length of his absence was expected! You love him; you have every right to worry!" Hermione gave a forlorn smile.
"Sometimes it feels like my title robs me of that right. I can't show it."
"DMLE Head or not, you're Harry's partner, in so many different ways. And you're worried and you want him back, and that's perfectly okay."
The validation from Ron and Hannah helped Hermione feel a tad better when she went to bed on Friday night but when she awoke on Saturday morning, the anxiety she felt all of Wednesday had returned and intensified because today was the ten day mark. Additionally, she had a meeting with Gabrielle that afternoon and Ginny had volunteered to go with her, an offer the brunette briefly considered turning down before realizing she wanted and likely needed the support. Gabrielle was delighted to see her red headed in-law and reintroduced her to Margot and Eloise since Ginny had not seen them since Bill's wedding.
"Iz 'Arry coming later?" Gabrielle asked as she sat at her desk.
"Er, no," Ginny looking at Hermione's strained expression, "He's been away for work."
"Yes. It was rather sudden," his girlfriend added. Gabrielle nodded in understanding.
"Poo! What a shame." Eloise commented, frowning slightly.
"Yes! Monsieur Potter waz very nice." Margot stated. Ginny peered at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, we will save certain items until the next meeting, then, so we have his opinion," Gabrielle proclaimed, "But with Ginevra here today, we can talk more about the bridal party! Such as dress shopping!" Ginny's face lit up as she looked at Hermione once more and the older witch herself gave an authentic smile.
The first order of business had to do with venue options. Gabrielle relayed that this was an important decision she knew Hermione would want to include Harry for but merely wanted to present the three options her aunt had found. The bride to be vetoed one rather quickly because it was just not a place she could see herself getting married, but she thought the other two choices were great and thanked Eloise for her assistance. The second topic they discussed were wedding invitations. Hermione handed over the guest list, which had been hers and Harry's homework, and then she and Ginny chose a design for the invitations. She felt comfortable doing this part without Harry because she knew him well enough to know he would not care how the calligraphy looked or what type of parchment to use, and that he would trust her to make a fitting decision. Consequently, the invitation's message Hermione composed was short and straightforward:
Your presence is humbly requested to witness the magical union between Hermione Jean Granger and Harry James Potter on the 15th of May, 2009.
The time and location were to be revealed if one used his or her wand to tap the box indicating he or she would attend, but as the location was still to be determined, the invitations would be sent out the second a venue had been identified.
The last topic that was discussed during the appointment was dresses. Hermione and Ginny chose a general style for the bridesmaid dresses and the brunette chose one for the bride's dress, with input from her friend. Once that was complete, Gabrielle designated time for them to go shopping: the last weekend of February and the first weekend of March for Hermione's dress and the third weekend of March for the bridal party. She stated she would contact specific boutiques and shops based on their selections and she revealed where she was taking them to shop.
"Paris and New York for Hermione and Milan for the bridal party." Gabrielle noted.
"New York!" Ginny remarked, grinning.
"I've never been." Hermione admitted, feeling prospective excitement.
"Oui. All fashion capitals! The groomsmen will come to Milan as well," the blonde relayed, "It will be much fun."
"New York, Paris, and Milan- how posh! And costly, I imagine..."
"Hermione, don't start worrying about the cost. This is your marriage to Harry! It's only going to happen once," advised Ginny.
"Yes. I agree with Ginevra. Do not focus on cost. Know that I do not waste money needlessly, but you should choose things you want based on your 'eart and not price." Gabrielle mentioned.
"And it's not like you're exactly hurting for money being Harry Potter's soon to be wife. I've seen his vaults- plural."
Hermione glanced sharply at Ginny and narrowed her eyes.
"Well it's true! You can splurge for something as important as this!" the red head defended.
" 'Arry did tell me to 'ide all prices from you..." Gabrielle claimed.
"What!" Hermione inquired, looking at her with a furrowed brow.
" 'E said 'e wants you to 'ave the wedding you desire and not, 'ow did 'e say… 'arp on the cost."
"Ha!" laughed Ginny.
"Harp? Harp! Oh, I'll give him something to harp about!" Hermione insisted, folding her arms and scowling a tad. Gabrielle smiled and Ginny continued laughing.
The Muggleborn would definitely have words with Harry when she saw him again but that would come much later, after she kissed him until she was blue in the face, for example. The day is halfway over, Harry, she thought. Just come home! You have until tonight. Time's up.