Fata Viam Invenient
Disclaimer: All you recognize from the four Harry Potter books are property of Joanne Rowling, a name known almost everywhere by now. Everything else you don't recognize, such as the plot, Horizont Alley, the Drunk Dragon, any OOC behavior, whether good or bad, any bad writing, grammar mistakes and spelling boo-boos belong to me…
Dedicated to: My late beloved pet rabbit, Draco Malfoy Orlando Miguel, I still shed tears over your grave. Ate Gianne… we'll miss you so much! Please take care! To Catherine and Berna, 95% isn't that much, I guess. Finally to Paola, who left for Australia without even telling she was going. Some best friend.
Note: I'm in the middle of a very biiiiiiig writer's block, and if you've ever had it, you know it's horrible, like constipation of the brain. So, I'm trying my best to get these out, and the chapters are already short!
Oh, and the blooming thing, well, a little allude to Orlando Bloom, a most delicious elf. And it's also a joke we have in my school (CharmedHpfanatic knows this…) when you say "She's blooming." it goes along the line of "This girl has turned into a woman."
Chapter Five: Sweep Me Off My Feet
And I would runaway
I would runaway with you
'Coz I have fallen in love
With you
And no matter what now,
I'm never gonna stop falling in love
With you
- Runaway, The Corrs
Harry fidgeted nervously. Beside him, Ron tugged at his bowtie, looking around apprehensively at the unsavory characters that leered at them from the dark walls of the Drunk Dragon. "Where can Hermione be? And what kind of place is this - " Harry was whispering to Ron out of the corner of his mouth, but he broke off instantly when a buxom waitress brushed past him and gave him a smile that would have made any boy begin to drool uncontrollably. Good thing Ron elbowed Harry first. "Stop it!"
*** Around thirty minutes before ***
The same waitress smiled exactly the same smile at another young man, but this particular seventeen-year old, reacted much differently. He winked, nodded coolly, then turned away and walked purposefully to the back of the shabby pub. He stopped in front of a fresh painting of a girl dressed in light purple robes, smiling as he did so.
Draco Malfoy leaned close to the painting. "Hello, Hermione." The girl in the painting looked up, a smile adorning her face, like the flowers adorned her hair. "Draco! Hello… and welcome! I do believe you know the password?"
Draco rolled his eyes at the painting. "I do believe I have been your boyfriend for the last few years?" The girl blushed charmingly. "Okay, and?"
Draco smiled at the painting, a smile guaranteed to charm your heart into pieces. "And what, pretty buttercup?" he replied, in a low, flirting tone. The girl in the painting smiled back, then suddenly put her hands on her hips. "Draco Thomas Malfoy, you are not, I repeat, NOT charming your way into here without the password!"
Draco continued to smile, still talking in that same, sweet tone of voice… "Of course I wouldn't do that! You know, you sound so much like Hermione…" A little sigh for emphasis. "She's so beautiful, you know that? I'd give anything to see her again, I've missed her so much…"
The Hermione in the picture raised an eyebrow, but Draco continued to speak, his misty eyes fixed somewhere on the ceiling. "A wonderful woman, accomplished, wise, clever, beautiful… she was the closest to the perfect woman I have ever seen…" Draco suddenly broke off. "And you know," He winked slyly at the now-blushing Painted Hermione. "I have seen a lot of women in my time."
Just as he finished saying the last word, a panel in the wall slid open so quickly that Draco didn't even have time to step back.
There, wearing the same pretty dress robes as the Painted Hermione, was the real Hermione herself.
She glared at Draco. "Why exactly are you flirting with my painting?" She looked dead serious, but if anyone knew her as well as Draco did, they would see the tell-tale twinkle in her eyes. Draco shrugged. "Happy birthday, sweetie. Beautiful painting you have there. Looks exactly like you… so, you can see why she's beautiful, right?" Hermione crossed her arms and began tapping her foot. Draco looked up at her, eyes mildly bewildered. "Yes, Hermione darling?"
"The password?"
"Password? That's exactly what the pretty girl in the painting asked me… Is that why you got us here to this pub? Very dingy, if you ask me…" Draco looked around behind him. "Definitely not a place for a beautiful young woman's eighteenth birthday… especially you, Hermione. I could have let you throw your party in my Ballroom… you know I'd do anything for you, you're the light of my life…"
Hermione sighed and flicked her wand at Draco. "Silencio." Draco's lips still moved, saying words no one could hear, and Hermione now wore an expression of triumph. Draco stopped mouthing his words and looked at Hermione with an intense expression of self-pity and pleading in his merry silver eyes. Hermione shook her head. "You aren't coming in until you give me the password, with sound, or without."
Draco's shoulders slumped exaggeratedly, and he sighed mutely, shaking his head in defeat. Hermione smiled proudly. "Good! You admitted it!" She flicked her wand at Draco. "Finite Incantatem."
The first words out of Draco's mouth were "And did I mention? You look absolutely stunning in those robes!" Hermione sighed and beckoned him into the opening in the wall. "Save the flattery for later, Draco… You'll need it for my mum… Oh, and, don't tell me… you forgot the password?"
Draco smiled sheepishly.
***Present***
"Miss? Er… miss? May I speak with you?" Ron beckoned to one of the well-endowed waitresses serving at the tables nearby. She clicked towards them, her assets swaying from side to side, turning Harry and Ron bright red. "And what can I do for you two gentlemen tonight? She purred, leaning towards them.
Harry fought a fierce urge to cover his eyes at the sight of the woman's cleavage, and instead swallowed and spoke, in a very small voice… "Miss… blooming."
The woman stood up, puzzled. "Blooming? Suddenly, an expression of understanding crossed her heavily made-up face. "Oh…" She leaned towards Ron again, and murmured, with a lascivious wink "The cherry blossoms are in full bloom tonight. Would you like to taste their sweetness?"
Ron turned red enough to match the Gryffindor banner. "Um… oh no! That… that wasn't wh-what we were talking about!" Harry blushed as well, as he comprehended what the woman had just said.
Ron, who so obviously thought that if he opened his mouth any further, he'd drag himself and Harry into a very… different situation than they wanted to be in at that very moment, waved his hand at Harry.
Harry nodded. "Miss, er… thank you very much… but not tonight." The waitress winked again and walked away, licking her lips. Harry and Ron watched her leave with dumbfounded expressions on their slack faces. Ron finally faced Harry, swallowing hard. "What do you mean 'not tonight'?! Not ever, more like it!"
A familiar voice from beside them, which sounded strict and reprimanding, made then shut up. "Harry? Ron? Good, she's getting impatient."
***Inside***
"One frozen margarita. Cherry." Draco raised a cool, silver eyebrow at the waiter, who immediately turned away and began the margarita, afraid of the imposing ice demon that had materialized in front of him. Hermione walked up to the bar and placed her hand over Draco's, smiling. "Stop teasing them!" Draco turned back to her, and was about to capture her lips in a passionate kiss when Hermione raised an eyebrow in a sign that meant "Hold it!" Draco suddenly drew back.
"Draco, this is my mother."
"Good evening, Mrs. Granger! Thank you for inviting me to Hermione's celebration, it's a wonderful event." Draco smiled charmingly and took the older woman's hand in his in such an appealing way that even the stern-looking Mrs. Granger smiled down at him. "Good evening to you, too, young Mister Malfoy. I would like to offer my condolences on behalf of your late father." The woman flicked her Spanish fan open and began to fan herself, though it was quite cool where they were. A change flickered over Draco's handsome smiling face, but he re[plied in the same, warm tone of voice. "Thank you very much. I apologize for my mother's absence, she is… still in mourning."
Mrs. Granger's eyes took in Draco's sleek and stylish black suit. "Apparently, so are you." Draco nodded. "Yes, Ma'am. I am." Draco looked over the woman's shoulder, and caught a glimpse of Hermione behind her. Hermione waved her arms wildly and mouthed something. Draco dropped his eye in a very discreet Huh?! Hermione mouthed slowly Harry and Ron aren't here.
"Madam, may I take you to your seat, and would you like a drink?" Draco took Hermione's mother over to a table that could seat six, and discreetly signaled Hermione over. Hermione sedately walked over, her heels muffled on the carpeted ground. She seated herself primly beside her mother, and nodded at Draco. "I'll get your drinks, Madam. What would you like?"
"A small ambrossiad, and a glass of this… butterbeer for Hermione. Thank you so much, Mister Malfoy." Mrs. Granger nodded at Draco as well. "Please, Madam, call me Draco."
And with that, he swept away. From the corner of his eye, he saw Mrs. Granger lean over to talk to Hermione the moment he turned his back. To himself, he smiled a secret smile.
***In the Drunk Dragon***
"Ginny? What are you doing here?" Harry smiled at her. She smiled back. "For Hermione's birthday, of course."
"Ginny? What are you wearing?!" Ron took one glance at her, and immediately threw his cloak over her. Ginny frowned at him. "It's for Hermione's birthday!" "Ssh! Can't you see where we are?!" Ron hissed, dragging her to sit down.
Ginny pulled her hand away and lobbed Ron's cloak back at him. "Seriously, haven't you guys found the entrance yet?!"
"What entrance?" whispered Ron and Harry, leaning close. Ginny made a small sound of annoyance and turned on her heel, leaving them at their table. Harry shrugged at Ron, got up and followed her. Ron rolled his eyes and walked after Harry.
They stopped in front of the painting Draco flirted with a while ago. Harry took one look at the painting. "Oh, I get it…" Ginny grinned at the painting. "Blooming." The three of them intoned together, and the wall slid open.
***At the bar***
Draco leaned against the cold marble of the bar and surveyed the scene before him with amused eyes. He was in an expansive ballroom, though not as big or as grand as his own back in Malfoy Manor. Brightly dressed women and tall handsome men glided around the room in couples or in small groups.
Just like Hermione, to surprise us all by telling us she was throwing her bash in a seedy pub, then startling us with this.
Draco sipped his margarita and frowned slightly. "You are not… satisfactory." He told the cold glass. He turned back to the bartender and held out the glass. "Do this margarita over in front of me. I'll show you which is which."
The bartender, with an embarrassed expression on his face, began to pour different colored liquids into a glass at Draco's directions. "No, no, no! You pour the light ice vodka over the ice, then the White Wand-Polish…just a little, mind you."
After a few minutes of Draco's careful and patient instructions, the bartender finally handed over a brand-new margarita. Draco sipped it, then looked up at the bartender. "Practice makes perfect."
When the bartender's back was turned, Draco pulled out his wand and tapped the glass, whispering the spell his own father used to say after every dinner time. The drink drained, and the glass refilled again. Draco took a sip and sighed. "Much better."
Over the rim of his glass, he caught Hermione's eye. He watched her excuse herself from her mother and walk over to him. She's so beautiful…
"I suggest you go and greet our friends at the entrance. Bring them to our table… okay?" Hermione touched his hand. Draco nodded at her. She looked around at her mother, made sure she wasn't watching, then grabbed Draco and pulled him to her lips.
"There… being eighteen is fun, don't you think?" she walked away, leaving Draco to dazedly take a long drink out of his perfect margarita.
*** Back to Harry, Ginny and Ron ***
The blank wall slid open, and the three of them looked up expectantly, hoping to find a certain birthday girl. Instead, they found a certain Draco Malfoy, holding a glass in one hand, and a cool smile upon his lips.
"Oh. It's you." Ron's face contorted into the slightest of grimaces. "Yes, it's me." Draco smiled again.
"Hello, Draco." That was Ginny. "Good evening, pretty woman." Draco amiably held out his hand and helped her into the room.
"Good evening." Harry looked at Draco expectantly. "Yes, Potter? Shall I help you in as well?" Draco held out his hand a second time, smiling faintly. Harry shook his head and stepped into the ballroom, eyes widening. Ron strode in after him, brushing past Draco.
Draco, pretending to be hurt, escorted them to Hermione's table. "Weasley, pretty robes you're wearing." he said, meaning Ron. Ron jerked around. "Make one more crack…" Draco suddenly held up his hands submissively. "They are nice robes. Really."
Ginny giggled, Harry grinned, and Ron fumed. Until they got to Hermione.
"Good evening, Hermione darling! Happy birthday! I caught these two in a rather… dangerous position, but, never mind, they're here!" Ginny bent down and kissed Hermione on the cheek. Hermione smiled and pulled out a chair for her to sit in. Ginny said a cordial greeting to Hermione's mother, and handed Hermione a small, wrapped present. Hermione hugged her and set it aside, while flicking her wand and pulling out chairs for the three boys to sit in.
Ron was grinning widely while he wished Hermione a happy birthday, and even more so when he greeted her mother. (Which led Mrs. Granger to shoot Ron curiously nervous glances every now and then.) Harry was smiling, a simple gentleman, as always, polite and mild, and in Mrs. Granger's case, appealing. Draco was the handsome suitor, accomplished, impressive and intelligent… and Mrs. Granger seemed very impressed with him.
The night went on well, with quiet conversation at their table, for everyone was wary of Hermione's mother. Draco enjoyed his "homemade" margaritas, while Ron was quite content with a fine blend of Wand-Polish, butterbeer, and ambrossiad. Harry settled for a gillywater with almond syrup. Ginny wanted a margarita like Draco's, after Draco let her take a sip, but Ron put his foot down and ordered her a Nectarine Pole instead. (Draco, always happy to oblige, secretly spiked it for her, with her permission, of course.)
They saw their old friends again, that night, and even a few Hogwarts professors. Parvati was there, arriving later than Ron did, because she missed the Portkey time. Berna came with her, and they got to pass through a different entrance. ("Because they're girls." Hermione reasoned, when Ron complained.)
Parvati and Ron were a delightful sight, teasing and flirting with each other through playful banter. Berna and Harry were the more sedate, quieter, and more reserved couple, but with the way Berna's eyes shone when she spoke to Harry, it was obvious she was in love.
Draco and Hermione, though, outshone every couple in the room. Even Berna paid them the compliment. "You look absolutely perfect for each other. Hermione, he loves you, he truly does. I can see it in his…" Berna broke off, looking over her shoulder at Draco. "eyes."
Hermione smiled happily, thinking that Berna had finally accepted the Slytherin for what he was, a perfectly good young man.
But only Draco noticed, that when Berna turned away, her eyes held a cold expression not unlike distaste… or worse.
The night was ending, but still people lingered around the bar, around their friends and loved ones, and over their drinks. Fred and George had shown up towards the middle of the party, and proceeded to alarm the guests… in a very un-Fred-&-George way! They had brought no Exploding Presents, nor Biting Tea-Cups, not even one Ton-Tongue-Toffee… but they had brought: Themselves.
They walked around the large room, "entertaining" the shocked guests with "pleasant tales."
"And then, the Chimaera swept in on Fred…" That was George.
"But George here knocked me out of the way - jolly good fellow - and jumped onto the beast's back!" Fred cut in, waving his hands for emphasis.
"Then I pulled him onto the crazy brute's back - right between the wings, yes, yes - and we were soaring through the sky!"
Other times, it was:
"Why, yes, Madam, as a matter of fact, I have been to the Philippines."
"Yes, yes, wonderful place! Terrific people there, hospitable."
"Yes, Madam, we even got a bit of their native language down to pat!"
The twins, who, at that moment, had been talking to a severe-looking aunt dressed in a rather eccentric feather boa, and trying to impress, stood back and cleared their throats importantly.
"Bab-ah-e, ah-hng pah-ngeet ng su-ot mo-h, at ah-ng pah-ngeet rin ng muk-ha mo-h."
In stereo sound.
People who knew how to speak that language burst out laughing, and the twins looked at each other, wondering what they had just said. The aunt, taken aback, stalked away. Suddenly, the twins rounded on Draco, who was close to laughing out loud.
"Malfoy, you better tell us what you just told us to say!" Fred was on the verge of grabbing Draco by the neck of his beautifully made robes. George brandished a piece of paper under Draco's nose at the same time. "Yeah, what's this mean?"
Draco pushed them away and brushed off his robes, a twinkle in his eye. "What did I tell you it meant?" He mocked them, pretending to think… "Oh, yes! That's supposed to mean "Woman, that is a beautiful dress, and a beautiful face to go with it."
He grinned. "Ah, the infamous Weasley twins caught in a prank by someone else…" George waved his wand threateningly. "Well, Malfoy?"
"You just said exactly the opposite of my little translation."
Fred paled, and did grab Draco's robes, but Draco held up a hand, before he was beheaded by a furious twin. "Ahem… Hermione's beginning her speech."
~*~*~
Hermione, trembling ever so slightly, climbed up onto the small, carpeted platform, holding a small bunch of parchment notes in her hand. She performed the Sonorus charm, and the Muggles in the crowd jumped as her soft voice echoed around the room.
Draco went to sit down at the same table occupied by Ron, Parvati, Berna and Harry, and he was accepted, though Berna drew her chair slightly away from him.
"My family and friends, words cannot express my gratitude at seeing you all here tonight, at my eighteenth birthday-" Hermione's voice was trembling, but she looked around confidently, and her mother drew herself up proudly.
"I'd like to thank you all for making the effort to come to my little celebration."
Draco looked around the grand ballroom, at the lavish food and exquisite decorations and raised an eyebrow. "Little?"
"For me, life has been like a path, twisting and turning, looping and curving. Sometimes, I even find myself running around in circles. My path has been rocky, with potholes and dangerous slippery spots, but with the help of each and every person here, my path has been made a little easier to walk on. I thank you for that."
Applause. Hermione glanced down at her notes, straightened herself up, and began to speak in a calmer, more relaxed voice.
"The path of my childhood lies behind, but so much more lies ahead. I take this moment to look back on my path, and smile, and maybe shed a tear or two, for though I'll never be able to travel that path over again, the memories I have collected along the way will still live on."
Harry swallowed hard. Berna patted him on the back.
"Now, I turn to what is ahead of me. I see the path, more dangerous and harder to travel than before. A little part of me doesn't want to take that step, to begin the journey down another road, because it's hard to let go of my childhood."
Complete silence.
"This event, that we celebrate tonight, commemorates my footprint. The very second I step down from this platform, I become a woman. I become a fully-qualified witch."
The Muggles flinched.
"I become Hermione Granger, for the very first time."
Ron wore a puzzled expression. "What's she getting at? For all I know, she's been Hermione Granger for as long as I've known her." Parvati shook her head. "No, Ron, it's about self-discovery, about finding your true psyche." Ron goggled at her. "You sound like Trelawney." "Heaven forbid!"
"The road is dangerous, for I have been granted a new freedom. The road is hard, but I have been given graces to get through it. The road is wearisome, but with everything everyone here has given me, I'm sure, that I'll be able to get through."
Hermione closed her eyes, and the entire room held its breath, waiting for her tears to fall.
None came, but when she opened her eyes, they were shining bright.
"In my heart, there still resides that little feeling. The feeling that, if I ever do step onto the road, I will fail, I will fall. The feeling that the world is an overwhelming thing, out there to get me.
"It is just a little feeling, but when I stop, and look back at all you have ever given me, the trust, the love, the friendship and truth, I suddenly realize…"
Hermione stopped speaking, head bowed. Draco suddenly made a move as if to stand up from his chair, but Harry held out his hand. He glanced at Draco, emerald eyes sparking against blue-silver opals. On simple word. "Don't."
Hermione raised her head, eyes brighter than ever before, one stubborn tear sliding down her cheek, but voice strong and sure.
"It's just this little feeling, but when I look back at all you've ever given me, at all the love, trust and friendship, I suddenly realize that the little feeling could never compare."
The Quietus charm. Applause. Tears. Happiness. And the feeling of finality.
She stepped down from the platform, smiling, and the applause grew louder, and Mrs. Granger was seen wiping a tear from her eye. Then, from the cheering crowd, two people stepped forth, the two people Harry had missed.
Professor Dumbledore, all twinkling blue eyes, stepped forward to meet Hermione, and Professor McGonagall followed close behind. They greeted her, and spoke to her in whispers, then handed her a roll of parchment. Hermione, upon unrolling it, burst into happy tears, and actually hugged the astounded Headmistress.
Draco hurried over, worried. "Hermione? What's wrong?" But Hermione, smiling like the sun through her tears, thrust the parchment at him. Draco unrolled it again, and with Harry and Ron looking over his shoulder, skimmed the short, official-looking lines.
"Hermione!"
"Yes?"
"Finally!"
This is to officially announce Ms. Hermione Anne Granger, top graduate of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as a Fully-Qualified Witch,
as of the twenty-first day of June, year two-thousand and two.
Witnessed:
Albus Dumbledore - Minister of Magic
Minerva McGonagall - Headmistress of Hogwarts