My dears! It is 2:40 AM and I really should be asleep, but I couldn't sleep and I felt like writing, which is how this chapter came to be.
Sidenote, I noticed three quarters through this chapter that I had included Mary McDonald throughout before I remembered that in this story she is already deceased (she died in chapter two). I did however quite like the description I had written about her, so I'm going to include it at the bottom of the chapter if anyone wants to read it.
I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this chapter, but I do hope you all like it! We meet a few new people and it is the set up for the next couple of chapters, which are going to be quite big.
Thank you all for your lovely reviews! They were amazing and brilliant and I loved them!
Please leave a review and let me know what you think ;)
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Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.
As always for Sable and Lais xxx love you both (and Worthfull and Henny, you dearest of dears).
Saturday, March 24th, 1979
Potter Manor
Lily Evans and James Potter's Wedding Day
In our dimension they don't get married until much later in the year. I guess that means things are already different, Hermione thinks to herself as she strides down one of the corridors in the West Wing of the Manor. She'd only been on this side of the house properly last night as she made sure Lily had everything she needed.
As per Muggle tradition, the bride and groom did not see each other on the night before the union, or until the actual ceremony began.
Dorea and Hermione have been running around since the crack of dawn ensuring that everything goes off without a hitch.
Hermione is currently on her way back to the room where Lily is getting ready, with the bridesmaids bouquets floating delicately behind her as she moves-Lily's bouquet is cradled in her right arm, her left is holding her wand.
Her heels are clicking against the wooden floorboards and she sees her destination coming up on her left-the white wooden door is cracked slightly and Hermione can hear peals of laughter.
She pushes gently on the door and she can't help but feel a little out of place-as if she's intruding on a private moment.
The girls are all gathered on the far side of the room, smiles still alight on their faces as they turn to look at Hermione.
"Hermione!" Lily exclaims happily.
Hermione shoots the dark red haired girl a small smile as she steps into the room, the bridesmaids bouquets floating around her and moving into the room. Hermione gently shuts the door and heads across the wide room. The windows are wide, and span from the floor to the ceiling on the left and right sides of the far wall. Sitting squarely in the middle, in front of a pure white vanity with three mirrors-the outer two facing inwards at a slight angle-is Lily.
Lily is still wearing a short, white nightgown and a lacy white dressing gown that is undone-the silk sash is brushing the ground, her ankles crossed.
There are four other girls in the room, all curiously looking at Hermione. They are all donned in their navy blue, column style dresses and they are finishing the last touches to their own ensembles.
"So you're the mysterious little witch that no one wants to elaborate on any of the details about where you came from," A frosty blue haired witch says-her hair is cropped just below her ears and there's a thick braid moving across her hairline, starting from the left and there are tiny white flowers tucked into the dips and grooves-pursing her lips and cocking her head to the side in curiousity, she's standing closest to the window on the right hand side of the room
She's short, a little less than five foot four, with hazel green eyes, a small nose, a dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks, slightly sharp features, an oval face, slender fingers and a lean frame. She has a small waist, which only makes her hips look much wider than they are.
"Emmeline Vance," the girl says a moment later, introducing herself.
"Hermione Granger," Hermione responds politely, and she then turns to the other girls.
She recognises Alice almost immediately, even though she's younger than when Hermione last saw her in person, and a few other things are different. Her mousey brown hair is cut into a pixie cut, her hair barely a few inches long. Her dark brown eyes are warm and inviting, and there's still a welcoming smile spread across her face, she has slender, delicate features, a long nose, ears that stick out a little-but it only makes her more endearing-dark and thick eyelashes. She's quite tall, at least five foot nine and she has a very slim build, her legs seem to go on for days. "Hello, I'm Alice Brown."
"Nice to meet you, Alice," Hermione says, smiling warmly at the girl as she hands her her bouquet-made up of wildflowers like Lily had requested.
Moving inwards, standing behind Lily with her eyes narrowed a touch is a honey blonde; her wavy long locks are thrown over her shoulders, ending just below the middle of her back. She has deep cerulean blue eyes that reel you in and drown you in their depths. She is the most regal looking of all the girls, posture dead straight, chin held high. Her deft, long fingers are currently in Lily's hair and she hasn't stopped in her endeavours as she twists, twirls and braids Lily's hair into an elaborately messy bun with flyaways expertly placed. She is the tallest of all the girls gathered there-even more so because of the five inch black stilettos on her feet-at five foot ten, and she has a slightly muscular, lithe build. She has fair skin and dusty rose coloured lips.
"This is Marlene McKinnon," Lily supplies after Hermione and Marlene stare at each other for a tense moment with neither looking to break it anytime soon.
"Pleasure," Marlene says icily, her attention going back to Lily's hair, her lips twisting wryly to the side.
On the other side of Lily is a petite, dark chocolate haired girl, with shoulder length, dead straight tresses and a sharp look about her. Her bright blue eyes sparkle with fire and brimstone. She has round features, a dark mole under her right eye, and a small nose. She's about five foot five and she is very curvy, with slightly broad shoulders. "Dorcas Meadowes," the girls says with a wide grin.
"Here you go," Hermione says as she hands a bouquet to Dorcas.
"So, Miss Granger. Tell us more about yourself. Lily has been terribly stingy on the details," Emmeline says, putting her hands on her hips and taking a step towards Hermione, scrutinising her as if Hermione was a specimen she was studying.
"With good reason," Lily says absently, looking in the mirror and trying to catch a glimpse of what Marlene is doing, "I told you, it's need to know. When it becomes pertinent for you darlings to know...you will."
"Lily...you know they're bound to find out eventually, they are in the Order. McGonagall and the others that were there have kept it all hush hush...but still," Hermione sighs, carefully leaning past Lily to place her bouquet on the vanity.
"Find out what?" Marlene asks sharply, pausing momentarily in her work.
"I'm from the future," Hermione says with a heavy sigh, waiting for the girls to laugh or call her a liar. Surprisingly they do none of the aforementioned things, instead they just seem to be more puzzled and curious than before.
"From the future you say," Emmeline says, eyes sparkling with fascination, not an ounce of surprise on her face.
"Yes," Hermione says uncertainly, brow puckering, tucking her wand behind her ear and into her wild curls; she hadn't done anything with them except detangle them in the shower that morning whilst quickly washing her hair-she'd let her curls air dry as she had begun to bustle about the Manor in preparation for the wedding.
"What house were you in?" Marlene asks then, quirking an eyebrow. They are all taking this in stride, and it takes Hermione a few moments to register that Marlene asked her a question-her brain not quite processing what is currently happening.
"Gryffindor-" Hermione pauses and then because it's polite and she can't think of anything else to say, she asks cordially in turn, "you?"
"Slytherin-" Marlene replies easily, and she continues as if she knows what Hermione's next question will be, "-my family has always been good friends with the Potters, so I would often come here for summers when I was younger. Then in school Lily and I were potion partners from our Fourth year onwards, so we ended up being quite close."
There's a silence, a thick silence, and it's driving Hermione mental and she simply can't help herself anymore, her need to understand consuming her.
"Why are you all taking this so well?" Hermione blurts, tapping her shoe against the floor a touch impatiently.
"Because we already knew," Alice says kindly.
"You did?" Lily gasps, trying to twist to look at her friend, but Marlene moves with lightning fast reflexes and puts one of her hands on Lily's shoulder.
"I'm almost done with your hair, Lily. Please don't fidget," Marlene commands softly, and Lily giggles, reaching up and patting Marlene's hand-which quickly goes back to the task at hand.
"Sirius felt like we should know, so he came round our flat yesterday and gave us a heads up. He was being all secretive and even made us make oaths on our magic not to utter a peep to anyone," Dorcas pipes in. Damn Black, Hermione thinks, at least he made them swear...I guess they can be trusted, but I'd rather they don't know too much too fast.
"He didn't answer any of our important questions though," Emmeline sighs. "What year you're from, what house you were in, what's it like whenever you're from."
"Well now you know what house I was in," Hermione smiles civilly, "what about you all? I can't assume you were all Gryffindors, can I?"
"I was in Ravenclaw," Emmeline says, scratching her shoulder absently as she locks eyes with Hermione.
"Gryffindor," Dorcas says.
"Gryffindor," Alice smiles, but it quickly fades as she says in a small voice, "Mary was a Hufflepuff...she was...she-" Alice isn't able to finish whatever she was going to say, her voice thick and catching in her throat.
Marlene's entire body is tense, and there's a haunted look in her eyes, Dorcas looks furious and distraught all at the same time, Emmeline's eyes are shining with unshed tears and she sniffs once, harshly. Lily bows her head a fraction, her hands clenching in her lap and Hermione can see her bottom lip trembling.
"I can tell you all loved her very much," Hermione says as kindly as she can, feeling even more out of place than ever now. She understands their grief, in ways that she almost wishes she didn't, but she doesn't share it.
She didn't know the petite girl that they all loved. She didn't know that she loved caramel and pudding, and that she had a journal full of pressed flowers, or that she had once hexed an older Slytherin boy for making crude comments about her best friend Marlene as they walked past them-the boy had been in the Infirmary for three days and the Hufflepuff had been given three weeks detention, but she served her time proudly saying she would do it all over again if she was given the chance.
"Mary wouldn't want us to be sad, she would want us to be happy," Lily sniffs, wiping her eyes-which thankfully her face didn't have on any makeup yet-sitting up straighter, once more raising her chin. "I'm getting married. She would be overjoyed."
"Knowing her she would be running around the room yelling at the top of her lungs about how excited she was for you, Lils," Marlene says, her voice a gentle caress of sound that shakes as it falls from her lips, her eyes are lowered as she puts the last pin in Lily's hair, checking to make sure that it's secure before she steps back.
"She would be stealing flowers from her bouquet later to put into her book," Emmeline comments, shaking her head with a ghost of a smile gracing her features.
"Probably already thinking about the cake and dancing at the reception," Alice smirks.
The ball of awkwardness that Hermione had previously felt tie itself together in her stomach loosens, and she lets out a soft exhale. Even if she doesn't feel like she's intruding anymore, she knows that she has places to be. She still needs to check if all the decorations are properly placed, and that Mipsy and Kreacher aren't having another row.
Thinking about Kreacher causes her mind to drift to his Master. Regulus had stayed in his room for the most part since being here, but Hermione had gone up to see him yesterday afternoon to ask if he would be coming to the ceremony and he had replied dryly with, "it would only be proper of me to. It would be rather rude if I didn't...I'll see you tomorrow Miss Granger," Regulus had smiled, half-grimaced before shutting the door and retreating back into his inner sanctum.
"Right, I best be off. It was lovely meeting all of you, but I have things to attend to," Hermione says hurriedly, and she swivels on her heel and hastily makes a break for the exit. The other girls chorus their farewells and then Hermione's hand is on the cool brass of the doorknob, opening the door and practically flying through it. She shuts it a touch harder than she intends and she flinches harshly after.
She does feel extremely relieved. I need to find one of the boys, Hermione thinks desperately. She felt vulnerable and like an outsider in the room with Lily and the other girls, and it's ridiculous and they were all lovely, but a piece of her is just thankful that there's a door between them now.
Shaking her head Hermione sets off down the corridor, she has much to do and only a few hours left in which to do it.
Mary McDonald (MacDonald properly but I've always written it the other way)
(1959/1960-Thursday, February 8th, 1979)
My description of her:- and that leaves the jovial looking blonde sitting on the floor with her legs spread wide-the fabric of her dress covering her all the way to the middle of her shins, it comes to the floor and covers her feet when she's standing, but it's bunched up a little.
"Mary McDonald," the pale blonde girl chirps, and Hermione squats down to hand her her bouquet. Mary immediately begins to examine all the flowers in the bouquet with intense interest.
Mary is the shortest of all the girls, just scraping five foot one, and her long hair is free-some of her locks falling forward and pooling in her lap. The locks that are trailing down her back are spread out behind her on the ground, the ends curling-she has loose bouncy curls. Mary has a round face, bright pink lips, freckles dancing across her cheeks, almond shaped eyes and thin eyebrows that make her look like she's always surprised. She is humming a pleasant tune absently and Hermione can't help the faint smile on her face.
P.S. Has anyone else seen the ASOUE (A Series of Unfortunate Events) teaser trailer?! I went absolutely mad when I saw it, the excitement is unreal.
Indieblue xxx
