Going to the Chapel
Chapter 20
Ginny wasn't sure what time it was when the light from the lamp in Hermione's room woke her up. She blinked her eyes a couple of times, and could barely make out her friend dropping her robes and stumbling towards Professor Snape's arms, both of them laying back down, onto the bed. The light flickered out a moment later and Ginny turned back over, snuggling with her pillow and drifting back into her dreams, comforted to know that everyone must be home safely.
XOX XOX XOX XOX XOX XOX
"Wake up, Red," Draco said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder and shaking lightly.
"Ferret?"
"I've already got your coffee," he pointed to her bedside table, chuckling at her groggy attempt to sit up and grasp the mug.
"What time is it?"
"Five-thirty in the morning."
"Why are we awake?"
"We have to be fully packed and ready to leave for France in ten hours. Tonks will be here in two to take us to Muggle London to finish shopping."
"I don't need two hours to pack," she grumbled.
"Then I'll take that," he reached for the coffee, laughing outright when she sloshed a bit on her hand jerking it away from him.
"No need to go to extremes, Malfoy."
He remained standing beside her bed, snapping his fingers and giving Nippe a genuine smile when she appeared.
"Master Dragon?"
"Please make my bed, and deliver my laundry so I can pack."
"Yes, Master Dragon, sir," she answered, before magically making his bed, and winking out.
"You said please," Ginny said, with a bit of awe in her voice.
"I did; Nippe isn't a normal house elf."
"You care about her," Ginny continued.
"Nippe and Fidelity are the only pieces of my childhood I have left," he said, defensively.
"It's okay to be human, Malfoy," she swung her legs out of bed, placing her palm on his cheek for a brief moment, before moving to her trunk. He was so stunned at the contact he didn't even hear her leave to take a shower.
XOX XOX XOX XOX XOX XOX
"Severus?"
"Mmph?" He mumbled, reaching up to pull a thick curl out of his mouth.
"Severus?"
"Good Lord, Hermione, give me a moment to resurface from the hair I'm drowning in."
"Well, excuse me, Severus!" She retorted, flipping herself over and leaving him sputtering from the bushiness that hit him in the face.
"Hermione, are you crying?" he asked, once he could speak again.
"I've been gone for three days, Severus…I missed you," she sniffled.
"You were gone for almost three days last week, and came back hurt, and you weren't crying then," he muttered.
"Could you just TRY and be understanding?" she said, raising her voice and sitting up, cross-legged on the bed.
"How am I supposed to understand this emotional upheaval you seem to be experiencing? Be a sensible person and I'll have no problems."
"I am NOT having an emotional upheaval!"
"In less than two minutes you have gone from dead asleep to shouting at me in a most unreasonable manner about a most ridiculous issue," he growled as he pulled himself up to lean against the headboard.
"I am NOT RIDICULOUS!"
Severus' angry retort was cut short by a knock on the doorframe, and Ginny peeking her head through.
"Professor, sir, may we come in?"
"No," he replied, at the same time Hermione said, "Yes!"
"Go away, Miss Weasley."
"Come in, Ginny," Hermione wiped her eyes. "Ignore him."
"Don't step a foot through that doorway, Miss Weasley," Snape snarled.
"I have coffee, Severus," Draco's pacifying voice came from behind Ginny.
"Bring it in," he barked.
Draco moved passed Ginny, and walked in first, handing Severus a coffee cup. The two men watched as Ginny sat down on the bed in front of Hermione, and handed her a small glass.
"It's cranberry juice, sweetheart, drink it."
"I'm not thirsty."
"Hermione, it's cranberry juice. I've already had some today."
"Oh. OH!" She took the proffered glass, draining it quickly.
"Feel better?" Ginny asked after a moment.
"Much."
"I'm going to finish packing. Tonks should be here within an hour, if you want to take a shower."
"I think I will," Hermione answered, standing up and giving Ginny a huge hug. "Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Ginny waited until Hermione left the room with her bath items before placing five vials on the bedside table.
"Make sure she packs those and takes one every twelve hours for the next three or four days. Ferret, let's go get done." She headed back to her bedroom, ignoring the look on Draco's face.
"Do you know what that was?" Draco asked when he was alone with Severus.
"Did Miss Weasley have anything to drink this morning?"
"After her coffee she had a glass of cranberry juice, just as she told Lupin."
"Did you see her add a vial that looked like that?" Severus pointed at the row of potions across the bed.
"Maybe, I wasn't paying close attention."
"If it weren't for the fact that you brought me coffee, I would revoke your Slytherin status right now. You're practically mooning like a Hufflepuff over her."
"Do you know what's in the vials?"
"Yes," Severus answered, continuing to drink his coffee.
"Well?"
"Until you can recognize that vial by its shape and color at first glance, you are not ready to be in a serious relationship. Now, go away."
"Sever-"
"Go. Away."
Rolling his eyes, Draco left the Professor slowly calming on his bed.
XOX XOX XOX XOX XOX XOX
"Let's GO!" Remus yelled up the stairs, standing in the foyer and tapping his foot impatiently. Tonks stood beside him, her hand on his lower back, but her body was turned and she was deep in conversation about robes with Ginny and Hermione. Severus was leaning against the doorjamb, irritation plain on his face. Even Harry, who was holding a muggle travel mug of coffee between his hands, was beginning to show exasperation at the lack of Draco and Ron's presence.
"Can someone get them to hurry up, pu-lease?" Remus asked.
"Ron woke up late," Harry offered, in between sips.
"Malfoy always takes this long," Ginny said, flicking her braid over her shoulder and smiling at Remus.
"Three women in this house, and we're waiting on two men," Remus growled, his wand hand twitching.
"I'm here, mate," Ron said with a huff, bounding down the stairs two at a time, his hideous orange shirt with the Cannonball logo clashing with his hair.
"Tie your trainers," Hermione admonished the out-of-breath Weasley when he reached the group.
"Are we ready?" Draco asked, his pompous question from the first floor landing drawing yet another growl from Remus, who spun on his heel and led the group out of the house.
"Must you be so…you?" Ginny sighed and pointed to a lone green travel mug that was sitting on the corner of the kitchen table. Draco's eyes narrowed as he watched her leave, Ron on one side and Harry on the other.
"You'll need to get used to it, Draco," Severus' voice surprised him. "Even if they aren't going to marry, I daresay Miss Weasley will always be friends with Potter."
"Shouldn't you be up there with Lupin and the Professor?"
"My coffee needed a refill," he replied, offhandedly. "Now, out the door, before this foray into Muggle London kills us all."
"What's wrong with the Professor?" Draco asked, watching the other two groups tandem apparate away; Remus with Ron and Harry, Tonks taking Hermione and Ginny.
"It's a little known fact that Remus John Lupin abhors shopping. He hates stores, exchanging currency, and, hypocritically enough for a member of the Order, despises Muggle shopping above everything."
"Everything?"
"Save the Dark Lord, perhaps. Though should the Dark Lord ever capture Lupin, he can torture him best by forcing him to do all the Christmas gift shopping for the Death Eaters."
"Are you serious?" Draco asked, in astonishment.
"Always," Severus replied, as he apparated them away.
XOX XOX XOX XOX XOX XOX
They appeared in a small, dingy alley. The women were already up at the street, their heads craning around the corners they debated where to go first. Harry and Ron were lost in an animated discussion about, of all things, wedding gifts for Bill. Remus stood against the wall, looking agitated.
"Shall we divide and conquer?" Ginny asked, turning at the sound of the pop.
"Ginny, Hermione, Harry, Remus, Severus, and I all have to go to the special London dress robe shop that Fleur recommended. Ron and Draco can come along – "
"And sit in a bloody waiting room while the lot of you try on robes? I think not!" Ron interjected. "The only good part about being in this ruddy wedding is that I didn't have to shop, cuz Bill has my robes in France! Besides, I have a wedding gift to buy."
"You aren't going into Muggle London alone," Severus said, crossing his arms across his body.
"Then the Ferret can come with me," he answered, defiantly.
Seven faces full of astonishment stared back at him.
"You want us to allow you and Malfoy to roam around a Muggle city together, without chaperones?"
"We're both adults, and you leave him alone with Ginny," Ron said, his eyes coming to rest on his little sister. "If you can trust him with her, surely you can trust us together."
Surreptitiously making sure his wand was in his forearm holster, Draco stepped forward.
"Fine, Weasel, lets go shopping," the blond answered, moving past Ron, towards the street.
"Meet back here in two hours," Tonks admonished, being the first one to recover her voice.
"Yes, ma'am," Ron said, rushing to keep up with Draco, who had made a left out of the alleyway and was halfway down the street.
"Did they…?" Harry asked, his voice trailing off.
"They did…" Severus replied, his eyebrows cocked up as he stared at the empty space where the two used to be.
"Do they have any Muggle money?" Hermione asked, being ever the practical one.
"Dad gave Ron a whole bag full," Ginny said, "for Bill and Fleur's present. Told him to find something Muggle."
"Two hours," Remus grunted, "I want to be back here in two hours, done with this insanity."
"Then let's hurry along, Moony," Hermione squared her shoulders and headed out of the alleyway to the right. "The robes aren't going to choose themselves!"
XOX XOX XOX XOX XOX XOX
Chéres de Robes was situated above a Designer French Muggle dress shop, only accessible through a hidden doorway. Louis and Marie, the owners, beamed as the small group entered.
"Oi! Louis! Zer are six bee-oo-zeful members of ze vedding par-zy to dress!"
"How lu-key are ve, my li-zle pum-kin flower, Marie?"
"So lu-key, my luv, so lu-key!"
"We have an appointment," Tonks explained, before tripping as she tried to reach the front counter. She merely continued talking from the floor. "Six under the name Lupin."
"Oi! Sit, my dears, sit, and let Louis prepare your drezzing rooms!"
"Ve have ze most bee-oo-zeful dress for ze Her-me-nee," Louis said, sweeping past the group towards a hallway that appeared. "You vill all follow me, no?"
Remus grabbed both of Tonks arms, propelling her off the floor and towards Louis, the rest of the group falling in behind.
"Who shall ve begin vith?"
"Me," Snape answered from the dressing room he was leaning against. "Black dress robes, good fabric, no patterns, no colors, no embellishments. And a white dress shirt."
"Ze black is so dark, Monsieur. Do you not vant, perhaps, a deep bleu?"
"Black."
"Severus – "
"Black, Hermione, black!"
"I was going to say," she glared back, "perhaps you could splurge on new dragonhide boots?"
He inclined his head a bit in her direction, before answering.
"And a new pair of boots, black."
Louis snapped his fingers and a well dressed elf appeared at his side, taking a small scrap of parchment out of the tailor's hand.
"Get ze Batte Graisseuse these items, dressing room un."
"Oui, Monsieur Louis."
"Also, bring ze champagne for ze customers, oui?"
"Oui, Monsieur Louis."
Hermione watched in wonder as within ten minutes Louis and Marie, who had come in from the front, had everyone measured, and shoved in a dressing room. Small elves popped in and out with various fabrics and dresses, complete with shoes and undergarments. Somewhere between dress number eighteen and nineteen, she stuck her head out the door.
"Severus? Are you finished already?"
"There are not many choices to be made when one wants black, Hermione."
"What are you eating?"
"Chocolate covered strawberries. Would you like one?" He rose like a predator from the overstuffed chair he had been lounging in, and placed the ripe fruit he had plucked from the silver platter between her lips. "Take a bite."
"It's heavenly," she sighed, licking her lips to catch all the chocolate.
"Champagne?" he asked, whispering in her ear, his body pressed close to her own partially dressed form.
"Yes," she replied, allowing him to tip the flute towards her mouth so she could take a sip.
"I did miss you," he said, again in her ear, his voice so low that she wasn't quite sure he had spoken. With a wave of his hand the flute flew back to the small table and his palm was flat on her stomach, slowly and tentatively creeping towards her waist.
She tilted her head upwards and met his kiss halfway; it was soft and tender, but desperate at the same time, as if he was scared to waste another moment. She had just parted her lips to deepen the kiss when an unholy shriek caused them both to jump back.
"THAT BITCH!"
Severus flung himself back down in the chair, while Hermione struggled to hold her dress on. Tonks lifted her head over the door of her dressing room to peer out, while Harry and Remus burst forth into the middle, wands drawn.
"THAT FUCKING VEELA BITCH!"
"Ginny?" Harry asked, his voice sounding small in the aftermath of the shouting. "Ginny, are you okay?"
"DO I LOOK OKAY?" she asked, flinging open her door and stepping into the center of the room. "NO – I'M IN A PINK DRESS AND I LOOK LIKE A BLOODY MUGGLE CLOWN!"
"Good Lord, that's not the dress Fleur chose, is it?" Tonks asked.
"It's hideous," Harry agreed.
"I KNOW!" Ginny answered, collapsing onto the floor and sobbing. Hermione came out of her dressing room, finally back in her jeans and shirt. She knelt beside her crying friend and hugged her, their bare feet sticking out towards the center.
"We'll fix it, Gin, you and me," Hermione squeezed her shoulders. "Let's get it home, and we'll change the color, or something, before the wedding."
"It's got a BOW," Ginny continued, oblivious to her friend, "I'll have a bloody YELLOW BOW on my BLOODY PINK ARSE!"
"I know, Ginny, I know," Hermione rocked the distraught girl.
"She did it on purpose," the teen choked out. "What idiot puts a red haired girl in yellow and pink?"
"An idiot who wants to look beautiful at her wedding, and feels like she has to make everyone else look bad, so she shines," Hermione answered.
"Ya know…" Tonks started to speak, tugging her jumper down and smoothing out her hair. "Mebbe, we don't change the dress."
Harry and Remus remained far away from the day-glow pink conglomeration that was Ginny, keeping near Severus and squinting their eyes in pain.
"Don't change the dress?" Ginny nearly shrieked from the puddle of silk and velvet she was trapped in.
"Well, we change the dress a bit," Tonks began moving around Ginny's poof of fabric, waving her wand, muting the color to a slightly less garish pink.
Harry and Remus opened their eyes fully, in relief.
"And the bow?" Ginny asked pitifully.
"And the bow a bit," Tonks agreed, waving her wand to subdue the yellow. "But…she did it cuz you're a red headed Weasley, Gins."
"This isn't going to look half as bad on her sister, or any of her friends," Ginny said, rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands.
"Exactly, so why not change your hair color?"
"Be a brunette?"
"Hell, Gins, go black if you wanna," Harry called, from his safe perch across the room.
"A lovely shade of chestnut, just for the ceremony and reception. I can teach you the charm, or Hermione, and then you can surprise everyone when the dress looks perfect on you!"
"That could work," Ginny answered, a small smile appearing on her face.
"It'll piss her off," Tonks added, having never really appreciated the Veela's attitude towards her clumsiness. "Is that everyone, then?"
"I've still got to try one last dress on," Hermione answered, giving Ginny another hug before standing.
"Okay, Severus can wait here with you," Tonks said, ignoring the groan from Snape, "while the rest of us head out to pay for our robes."
"Sounds perfect," she replied, slipping back into her dressing room.
The rest of the group filed out towards the front counter, Remus carrying his black and maroon dress robes that matched the maroon dress Tonks had chosen for herself, perfectly. Harry had decided on simple black robes, with a hint of silver in the trimmings. Ginny's dress was haphazardly shoved onto it's hanger, much to the dismay of the elves who came to carry it to the front. When the dressing area was clear, Severus reached over to the small table to pour another glass of champagne for himself.
"Severus?"
"Yes, Hermione?"
"Can you come here and help me zip this dress?"
"Don't they have elves for that?" he muttered, placing the flute back on the table and walking to the door.
"They do," Hermione answered, grabbing his arm and pulling him into the room with her, "but elves aren't quite as fun to snog."
XOX XOX XOX XOX XOX XOX
"Let's be blunt, Weasel…what do you want from me?"
"I didn't realize Slytherins could be blunt," came the reply, as Ron turned into a small shoppe.
"You didn't ask me to come with because you wanted help purchasing Muggle gifts."
"No, I would have brought Harry for that," he responded, conversationally.
"What do you want from me?"
"You know, Weasleys aren't always Gryffindors. It's so rare that a Weasley girl is born, that even we tend to forget that girls have a 50/50 chance of being Slytherin."
"Your mother was a Gryffindor."
"My mother was a Prewett," Ron answered a bit witheringly.
"Right…"
"Ginny, though, she could have been a Slytherin. After her first year, Dad and Mum went to Dumbledore – they wanted to talk to the Sorting Hat, see if she had been mis-sorted. They were scared shitless."
"The Chamber – "
"Yeah, the Chamber. Mum was worried that Ginny caught something."
"Caught?"
"She did…she's more than a Legilimens and an Occlumens – "
"You know?"
"Since she was fourteen, I've known, but I think there's more to it than that."
Draco began sorting through a bin in the shop, lifting up the small metal spikes and letting the drop back into their bucket. If Ron was surprised by his silence, he didn't show it.
"I think the ruddy Hat put her in Gryffindor for the same reason it put Hermione in Gryffindor on her second sorting. It knew Harry would need her."
Draco snorted, moving his hands to the next bucket, this one holding tubular spikes, with ridges on them.
"My point is, Malfoy, he still needs her. But if Hermione can be in love with a Slytherin, Ginny can be friends with one."
"I don't recall asking your permission."
"You didn't," Ron leaned against a rack, crossing his arms over his chest and staring at the other wizard. "But I'm giving it to you. Allies are handy things to have."
"And what do I get out of this alliance?"
"Chocolate covered cherries."
"Chocolate covered cherries? I don't even like chocolate covered cherries – "
"Ginny does, but only when she's PMSing. Hermione prefers white chocolate. Ginny becomes clingy, touchy-feely to everyone when she's worried. If she's angry, she's aggressive, and ya have a better chance of getting hit than touched. Beware of her – "
"Bat boogey hex."
"Yeah, that one."
"I obtain information from this alliance."
"Information is handy."
"Pansy Parkinson and Luna Lovegood, the Ravenclaw, got into a catfight over you early last March in the Herbology greenhouse."
Ron's eyes grew wide, and he began to sputter.
"What, Weasel? You didn't want to exchange information?"
"Parkinson and Lovegood?"
"There are a few of us, Weasel, that realize you aren't near as stupid as you lead people to believe."
"Can I help you?"
Both Ron and Draco turned to look at the petite black-haired girl that had slipped up next to them.
"Are you looking for anything specific? Doing a household renovation? Or a new project?"
"Renovation?" Ron said, tentatively.
"Ah, okay! Are you looking to paint or rebuild the room?"
"Paint?" Draco said, his eyes squinted in question.
"Do you need to strip paint first?"
"Paint stripping?" Ron asked, very confused.
"It's a liquid that will remove the paint from the wall…it makes it easier to repaint."
The two wizards appraised the shopgirl, matching grins on their faces.
"You say you have something that can remove paint?"
"Yes, sirs, right here," she beckoned them to the next aisle, pointing to a long shelf. "We have three different strengths."
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Ferret?"
"Hell, yeah, Weasel."
"We'll take the most potent one you have."
"Anything else, sirs?"
"And two scoops of those," Ron said, pointing to the first bucket Draco had been messing with.
"Nails?" the girl asked. "Do you need a hammer as well?"
Ron turned to Draco, who shrugged.
"Sure," Ron answered the girl, "A ham-ter and nails, should be a perfect wedding present for Bill and Fleur."
A perplexed Muggle carefully rung up their purchases, sliding them into the large brown paper bags and helping the tall, athletic looking red-head count out his pounds, and blinked as he leaned in to talk to the smaller, hot blond. They seemed to walk out of the shop together and disappear.
"Gay men are getting weirder and weirder," she sighed to herself in the empty store.
XOX XOX XOX XOX XOX XOX
"You're late," Draco announced when Harry led the group into the alleyway.
"I'm glad to see everyone is still in one piece," Hermione gave Ron and Draco a smile, her arm looped through Ginny's.
"What's in the bag?" Ginny asked, pushing past Harry to poke at the white bag in Ron's grasp, ignoring the brown bag Draco was holding.
"The same thing that is in this white bag every month," Ron answered, gripping the top even tighter. "You can have some when we get back to Grimmauld Place."
"CHERRIES!" she squealed, wrapping her arms around Ron in a hug. "Apparate me home, Brother, NOW!"
Ron let out a tired sigh, and took a step back towards the wall, pulling Ginny with him. Less than five seconds later, Fred and George appeared in the alleyway.
"Ron?" Fred questioned.
He held up the white bag, and patted his blushing sister, who had her head buried in his chest.
"Right, then, get her home," George answered, cracking out, followed quickly by a grinning Fred.
"Wotcher, guys!" Tonks interjected, "Remus and I are heading back to me flat for a bit."
"Did you seriously promise him sex if he didn't complain while we were shopping?" Hermione asked in disbelief.
"Hermione!" Remus groaned.
His sister had begun to lift her finger, a classic Hermione speech on its way, when Severus stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, and they popped into nothingness.
"She's going to be pissed when she realizes he's apparated her home," Ron said.
"Apparate to the backyard," Harry advised. "That will give him time to get her inside and up to her bedroom."
"Cherries," Ginny repeated, her voice taking on a low growl as she leaned back and stared at her remaining brother.
"Right, dear sister." Ron absently reached into the bag and shoved a small piece of chocolate in her mouth, before pulling her close and disappearing.
"You and Ron are friends now, eh?" Harry raised an eyebrow at Draco.
"Weasel is still a weasel."
"And Weasellette?"
"Red…is Red."
"Yeah," Harry stared at his long-time enemy, "she is."
"Truce?" Draco stuck out his hand, and Harry felt transported back to his first year, aboard the Hogwarts Express.
"Ready to make friends with the right sort?" Harry asked, grasping Draco's hand firmly and shaking it.
"Ready to admit I may not always be right," Draco conceded, drawing his hand away and apparating out of the alleyway, leaving Harry alone for a moment.
The Boy-Who-Lived had to take a deep breath before following, a bit in awe.
Maybe, just maybe, everything was going to turn out alright in the end after all.
XOX XOX XOX XOX XOX XOX
A/N: This weekend involved Final Exams, starting a new semester of Grad School, and spending 12 hours at a Children's Hospital with my youngest where scary words like "e-coli" and "salmonella" were banded about. He's okay (though, I'm still a bit flustered), but this took longer to get out.
Never fear, however, Chapter 21 (And We're Gonna Get Married), is already being written, and baring any more crisis, will be on-time this weekend. –Lone Butterfly