Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ms. Rowling's wonderful creations. Nor do I own any of the various songs that may be presented throughout the length of this fanfiction. The various songs will be named at the end of the fic, as well as in the chapter within which they lie.

A big thanks and a shout out goes to:

lovenotknown – I'm sorry. No...I'm really not. I wanted the meeting with Voldemort to be humorous, since so much of this story has been dark and heavy (Except for the amused exasperation that I feel upon writing their arguments) up to date. I also figured that Dumbledore would want Hermione to know occulmency to be able to shield herself from Voldie-Pants, so I thought that the singing was a nice touch.

Lady11Occult – I'm afraid, that I must disagree. I do not see Hermione as out of character in being civil to Voldemort because she does not wish to wind up dead. This means that she would have to go against her character. Remember...she's very literally between a rock and a hard place with a room FULL of deatheaters at her back and Voldemort standing in front of her.

BloodJewel – I'm glad you enjoy this story so much. It gives me that warm fuzzy feeling that writers get when they get good feedback.

Bookworm1214 – I could have, but as I said before...so much of this story has already been dark and heavy that I wanted to add some humor.

Bex Drake – I'm glad the story made you smile. And I know what you meant about the mary sues and marty stus. I try to keep my characters as "real" as they can possibly be. Glad to know I'm doing a good job at it.

moonwaves15 – I'm glad you enjoyed it.

jimmythehun – I'm glad you enjoy it so much. It's always good to know that my work is appreciated.

goldenlioness1102 – Yes, the dance-argument between the two of them was funny. I wrote that entire chapter with amusement in mind...as with this chapter. Unfortunately, it's time to get serious again with the wedding in the next chapter.

Moonlightshadows – I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. Yes, they are. I do alright, though. I tend to favor the HG/SB and the HG/V stories more than this one, so if I ever get behind, just send me an email or a PM yelling at me to get to work.

Kichou – I'm glad you like it.

Destiny's Darkness – Lord Voldie-Pants seemed to have a bit of a ring to it. I'm glad you enjoy the story so much. As for the memories "that would make even Lavender or Parvati blush"...well, the explanation for that will come later.

ladeportista4 – Well...I was more trying to convey the point that she WASN'T powerful enough to simply force him out of her mind, and she knew it, so she had a couple of other layers of defense there just and case...but the whole powerful bit works, too.

Earthsong05 – I love the Marriage Law stories as well...that's partially what brought me along to writing this one. I also had to think, though, about what would make miss Goody-Gryffindor Hermione Granger fall for the Bad-Boy Slytherin Draco Malfoy. This seemed to be the most effective way. Force two people that hate each other into a relationship that is less than platonic and they'll eventually either kill each other or fall in love. Thin line between love and hate...and all that.

Taroshi – I'm glad you enjoy it so much! I was laughing my ass off as I wrote it in...so much so that I misspelled karaoke about twenty different times. Oh well.

'Mione n Sevvie – I'm glad you enjoy it so much. XD That was probably my favorite part of that particular chapter.

This is a VERY short chapter and for that I apologize...but I think the lot of you will enjoy it when you read it! Especially the ending! AND you all get to (FINALLY) see the wedding in the next chapter! That's right! The next chapter is the wedding! Ooh! Okay...the songs in this chapter are: This Christmas Tide by Donald Fraser and I will Always Love you...I've no idea who writes OR sings that one.

Yours,

Allison

Chapter 13

Hermione groaned softly into her pillow as she felt the warm body beside her shift, an arm going around her waist and pulling her back against a warm, bare chest. She gave a soft sigh and opened her eyes, thankful that she'd been drunk with Aleina before, and so knew muggle tricks to avoid any type of hangover whatsoever. Rubbing her head, she shifted restlessly, noticing that she wasn't wearing any clothes, and looked around at the person holding her. Unable to get a good look without breaking the hold of the arm around her waist, she sighed and settled back down, closing her eyes.

"Mmph." A whimper came from behind her. "My head..." She recognized her fiance's voice and rolled over, trying to remember the vague details about how they'd ended up in the same bed, stripped to their underwear, the night before. His face was screwed up in a pained expression, and she chuckled softly before reaching into the nightstand on her side of the bed, pulling out a particularly strong headache potion and nudging him enough to hand it to him.

"Drink this, Draco. It'll help." She murmured, closing her eyes again. She was still trying to remember how they'd decided to sleep together, finally giving up. She'd obviously been drunk enough to pass out if she hadn't managed to pull on the nightgown that she could see on the floor by the bed, where it had fallen off during the night, and so it likely hadn't been much of a conscious decision at all. After a few moments, she felt the vial handed back to her, and she placed it back on the nightstand before she felt an arm around her waist, pulling her back against him. Shifting, she curled against his chest and the two closed their eyes, drifting back to sleep.

When she woke once more, Hermione looked at Draco, who shifted slightly and murmured in his sleep. Smiling in amusement, she gently pried his arms off of her and slid out of the bed, picking up a robe draped over the back of a chair and making her way first to her suitcase and then to the bathroom. Inside, she climbed easily into the shower and turned on the water, sighing in relief as the heated water beat down upon her shoulders, making her close her eyes and sighing softly. She felt a tickling sensation at the back of her brain and knew that- despite her muggle tricks- she hadn't quite beaten the hangover. It would wait, however, until she found her other headache potion.

Stepping out of the shower, she reached for a towel and began drying off, humming to herself. After a few moments, a song that she'd heard once upon a time came to her lips. A witch's quartet was singing now...a soprano, an alto, a tenor, and a bass...

The soprano's voice came on first.

"Green and Silver, Red and Gold

And a story born of old

Truth and Love and Hope abide

This Christmas tide, This Christmas tide..."

At that, a second voice had joined hers easily on the second verse...singing the alto part. The parts were amazing together.

"Holly, Ivy, Mistletoe

And the gently falling snow

Truth and Love and Hope abide

This Christmas Tide, This Christmas Tide..." The women's parts were joined by the tenor part in the next part...the tenor singing melody while the alto sang harmony and the soprano's voice rose to a lovely descant.

"From a simple ox's stall

Came the greatest gift of all

Truth and Love and Hope abide

This Christmas Tide, This Christmas Tide..." The bass joined in at the very ending of the refrain during that verse and continued to sing his part as the alto took over the melody and the soprano continued on her descant, the song still lilting and fairly slow.

"Child-" The others began, only to be joined by the soprano.

"Children sing of hope and joy

At the birth of one small boy

Truth and Love and Hope abide

This Christmas Tide, This Chrismas tide..." The voices continued their easy warmth, the tenor taking over the Melody once more.

"Let the bells ring loud and clear

Ring out now for all to hear

Truth and Love and Hope abide

This Christmas Tide, This Christmas tide..." The four voices rose steadily in pitch until it was loud and brilliant before the song sped up unexpectedly.

"Trumpets Sound! And voices raise..." The soprano's voice continued in the wonderful descant, hitting each of her notes precicely.

"In an endless stream of praise." The lilting soprano continued to float above the others as Hermione swayed to the music, imagining it easily.

"Truth and Love and Hope abide

This Christmas Tide, This Christmas Tide..." The soprano's voice was high, and the entire group continued the crescendo that brought their voices higher and higher in volume with the last of the refrain. There was a break while a piano played, and when the voices picked back up, it was a soft, melodic tune. The same that the song had begun with, with the soprano once more singing the melody.

"Green and Silver, Red and Gold

And a story born of old

Truth...and love...and hope abide...

This Christmas Tide...This Christmas Tide..." As the music disappeared from Hermione's mind, she smiled and finished her makeup and double-checked her hair before pulling on a pair of long, elegant blue robes and stepping out into the bedroom. Draco was up, humming to himself as he fixed his hair at a vanity across the room. Hermione grinned.

"Oh, you're not vain at all." She teased as she pulled out a weaker version of the potion she'd given him earlier, drinking it. Startled, he turned to look at her.

"Damn, Granger! What are you trying to do, give me a heart attack!" He yelped. She laughed.

"It's not my fault that you were so caught up on your reflection that you couldn't hear me come in, dig quite noisily through my duffle bag, and drink a headache potion!" She defended. He laughed and shook his head.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked. She frowned, confused.

"What? Go where?"

"To your parents' house, of course." Draco grinned. "My father was mortified by the way you talked to his so-called Dark Lord."

"Oh no...what did I do?" She asked, slowly.

"You called Voldemort...and I quote..."Lord Voldie-Pants."

"Oh lord..." Hermione fell to the bed and buried her face in the pillows. "Kill me." Draco let out a bark of laughter.

"The way you were sucking up last night, Granger, one might think you'll turn Deatheater."

"HAH!" It was Hermione's turn to laugh. "Voldie-Pants should be so lucky." She muttered darkly before grinning with an evil delight as she began packing her things back into her duffle bag. "What was his reaction?"

"The Dark Lord's? He was amused. You drank an irishman under the table."

"So that's why I can't remember anything." Hermione said, grinning ruefully and sliding a hand through her hair. "Aleina never has been able to get me to remember anything once I've drunk her under the table."

"Aleina?"

"Oh shit...you haven't met Aleina." Hermione dropped her brush. Harry and Ron were emerging by floo into the room and they stopped.

"What?" Harry asked, slowly.

"Please tell me you're kidding." Ron said.

"He hasn't met Aleina." Hermione said, looking at her best friends, a shell-shocked expression on her face.

"Well..." Ron said, slowly...

"This will be an...experience..." Harry said.

"Will you stop this and tell me who in the blazes Aleina is!" Draco shouted, staring back and forth between the three of them. They just looked at him with blank faces.

SCENEBREAKSCENEBREAKSCENEBREAK

He'd had to ask.

Draco put his head in his hands and watched his increasingly inebriated fiancee laughing and joking with her irish friend, reminisking. It was seven in the bloody evening and Hermione and Aleina were both buzzing already. He just hoped to god they didn't go up onto the stage. Carver Granger had warned him not to let that happen if he could help it...and then Annelise had pointed out that if Aleina and Hermione got it into their heads, there would be no stopping them.

Kayla and Melissa, who'd come along to spend some 'quality time' with Harry and Ron, were laughing it up. Harry and Ron were in near the same state that Draco and Aleina's boyfriend, Grant, were in. Hopeless, loving, frightened exasperation.

"We should shing, Hermi...Hermi...Mee oh nee!" Aleina slurred. "It will be jusht like..." Here she paused to take a breath and belch. "Old timesh."

"Itsh not like old timesh, Aleina. I'm an engashed woman now!" Hermione slurred in return. "But yesh. Shinging would be (hic) wunnerful!"

"Oh god..." Draco put his head in his hands. "Oh god oh God oh GOD! Why me? Why, by all that is holy?"

"You mean why US." Grant said, groaning.

"Why us?" Draco whined in agreement, plopping his head back down to the table as the two girls- nay, women- on the stage began to sing in very off-key voices.

"And IIIIIII WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU" Hermione squealed, sometime during the chorus.

"And IIIII WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU" Aleina echoed.

Grant and Draco looked at each other before simultaneously summoning a waitress loaded down with more mugs of beer over to them.