AN: Boo! Didja miss me?! *looks around* Guess not. :(

Anyway, here's the third chappy of Phoebe! Apologies for the late uploading, I haven't had much time to write… what with acting classes, cousins sleeping over *AUGH! Stop looking over my shoulder! Shoo, shoo!!!* parents harping on me to 'get a life', Internet cards running dry… trying to learn HTML for my new weblog… and my new summer infatuation.

The life of Me is simply too… *dramatic sigh*

Disclaimer: I don't own anything familiar to anyone who's read all four Harry Potter books. However, I own everything that's unfamiliar to anyone who hasn't read any of my fan/songfics.

Dedicated to: Of course, as always to CharmedHpfanatic, who will be seeing me next year in school! Whee! And to Katana47, my faithful reviewer. Your reviews rock!

Chapter Three: Letters of A Surprise

What's the buzz?

Tell me what's a-happening.

What's the fuss?

Tell me what's a-happening…

- Jesus Christ Superstar

The man at the desk raised his head of bright red hair at the beeping sound which announced the otherwise silent arrival of a dragon through his office door.

"Damn it, Malfoy! What are you doing here?!"

Draco walked smoothly over to Ron Weasley, stopped in front of his desk, and slid a finger teasingly across the gold plaque which proclaimed the carrot-head as "Magical Discussant and Debater".

"Very nice office, Weasley. Terrifically surprised that they even let you walk over the rug in those shoes. Don't they leave marks on the floor yet?" Draco smirked, reminding Ron of their old school days.

Ron glanced down at his old loafers and blushed. "Oh, shut up, Malfoy, or I'll have my personal bodyguards make sure you won't be able to chew your food properly for the next few months."

Draco stepped back, feigning surprise. "Weasley! You have bodyguards?! What for? I mean, no one's about to rob you or anything, they'll be walking away empty-handed…"

Ron stood up, all six feet, seven inches of him. "Malfoy…"

Draco laughed and held up his hands. "Yes, yes, Ron. No need to get all… tall with me." He glanced around the office, slightly admiringly. "I agree with the Chudley Cannons poster, but does it have to be over there? Why not beside the orange vase? It'll add a bit of color, and it does tone down into a single eye focus… but you'll have to replace those roses with… something dark…"

Ron slammed his book (How To Convince The Nice Men In White To Let You Out Of The Uncomfortable Out-Of-Fashion Tight White Jacket With Extra-Long Arms by Angela Ikari Felton.) down on the desk. "Malfoy, did you come over here, all the way to Australia, simply to teach me home-decorating tips, or did you actually have something else to say besides an insults or an avoidance comment?!"

Draco glanced at him. "Oh, yes. Come to think of it… I believe Hermione asked me to drop this off." He casually tossed a pure white envelope on the polished desk, and stepped back. "Don't' forget to pull up your jaw when you've finished reading it."

A small *pop* announced Draco's departure.

Ron rolled his blue eyes and reached for the envelope. "What the hell…"

It slid open by itself, and a heavy cream sheet of parchment fell out. As Ron picked it up, silvery-blue lines began to curl across the paper in beautiful calligraphy.

He finished reading it in a few minutes, and as he stared at the pretty envelope lying on his desk, he remembered what Draco said, and he pulled up his jaw. (He also moved the Chudley Cannons poster over to the vase, but that's another story.)

~*~

Hermione sat down on the pretty couch in Ginny Weasley's apartment, clutching the cold glass of pumpkin juice. Ginny sat down across her and smiled. "What is it, Hermione?"

She smiled at her. "Oh, I've got some rather interesting news." Ginny moved closer, curious. Hermione leaned close and whispered into her ear, grinning all the while.

When Ginny had leaned back into her chair, her bright blue eyes were sparkling with delight. "That's wonderful, Hermione! Omigod, when?!" Hermione pulled out a white envelope, identical to the one Draco handed Ron a while ago. "Here, all the details are in this." She winked at Ginny, passing her the envelope. "Now, I've got to go. Just owl me if you've got any more questions…"

Hermione stood up and Apparated out.

Ginny laughed. "Oh well, who would have thought…" Suddenly she sat bolt upright. "Omigod! What am I going to wear?!"

~*~

Parvati looked up as the simple brown owl flew in through her window. Rushing over to it, she proceeded to knock over a beautifully painted vase which fell to the floor with a loud crash. She stopped, hand over her mouth. The voice of an aged woman called out from downstairs.

"Parvati, did you break another vase? You'd better Repair that… or I'll…". "Yes Mum!" Parvati yelled back, performing a Reparo charm.

She went over to the owl, recognizing it as Hermione's Sohyru. "Hello… now, what have you got for me?" The owl let her remove the white envelope and accompanying parchment from it's leg before accepting the owl treat and the offer to stay for the night.

Parvati unrolled the parchment first, and when she had finished reading it, she just had to jump up and down. *Crash!*

"Parvati! Was that another vase?!"

~*~

Berna glanced once at the ebony-black owl that had flown in through her window. She frowned, recognizing it as Draco's Cimmerian. "And what do you want from me?" She walked over to it and held out a hand for its letter. Cimmerian flew off at once, knowing when it was not needed, and not welcome.

Berna read the letter, then opened the white envelope. She raised an eyebrow. "I thought so." She looked out the window, at the endless sky of stars, pressing the letter to her chest. "But what about Harry?" she whispered wistfully.

~*~

"Knock, knock!" Hermione called out from outside Harry's front door. "Let me in, it's freezing in your hallway!" She banged on the door. "Coming, hold on a minute, will you…" Harry swung the door open, and there was a definite sparkle to his eyes when he saw Hermione.

"Oh, hello! Come in and partake of wonderful nectar and ambrosia, which, when sipped, shall bring you immortality and the chance to live with me, the wonderful god of… er… house-keeping! forever and ever!" They laughed, and Harry invited Hermione in.

Harry gestured apologetically towards the messy room. "Sorry, it isn't much. Berna tried to keep it tidy when she come over once in a while, but when she comes back, it's just like she never touched it." Hermione waved his apology away. "Never mind, Harry! So… how are things going?" she asked, settling herself on the lumpy couch.

Harry shrugged, Summoning an empty cup out of the kitchen. He handed it to Hermione, who, with a tap of her wand, filled it with coffee.

He sat down across her, smiling. "How are you?" Hermione suddenly broke out in an equally wide smile. "Oh, Harry! I've got the greatest news!" Harry raised an eyebrow. "Okay, what?"

Hermione pulled a white envelope out of her bag and held it out to him. "Here. Read this."

Harry took it from her, but as he took the envelope in his hand, his fingers met hers, and the effect was electrifying. Warmth spread through him as he took her hand in his, and his eyes never left her face. Harry met her gaze, a piercing emerald gaze hiding everything, and he could hear his own heart pounding furiously in his ears. Hermione watched him warily, eyes slightly narrowed. "Harry…"

He glanced up at her, and let go of her hand slowly, taking the envelope, pretending everything was fine, trying to ignore the pounding of his heart. "Er… so, what's the buzz?"

Hermione stood up, clutching her bag. "I've got to go, Harry, but promise me you'll go, okay?" Harry nodded without thinking. Hermione leaned closer for her usual goodbye kiss on the cheek… but something seemed to stop her, and she stepped back, settling for a casual wave instead.

Harry, who had looked up expectantly for her kiss, saw the way she had moved away, and an unexplainable pain seemed to jab at his heart. However, he tried to smile, and tried to let her go.

As Hermione walked out onto the main street of Godric's Hollow, closing Harry's apartment door behind her, she had absolutely no idea how hard it was for Harry to let her do exactly that… to simply let her walk out of his life again, and close the door to her heart.

He listened to the door close quietly, and he allowed himself one small sigh. A sigh for the only woman he had ever loved. Guiltily, he thought about Berna, who surely loved him very much. I can't help it… it's like every day I spend with Berna, I love Hermione more and more…

Harry turned to the envelope lying on the couch, yet unopened. He picked it up and watched as it opened itself. He observed the silver-blue letters fan out on the parchment, but when he got to the end of the invitation, for that's what it was, his verdant eyes were sparkling with tears.

~*~

Draco Thomas Magnum Malfoy

&

Hermione Anne Granger

A Union of Souls

May 4, 2008

~*~

So one heart was broken, and two were rejoicing. However, somewhere on the green earth, another heart was bent on tearing all three apart.

~*~

Berna sighed as another owl began tapping at her window. Fourth time today… First was that silly wedding invitation, then Virginia asking about fashion style… silly girl… and then Harry, asking me about the wedding again…

She sat bolt upright in bed as she recognized the owl's tapping. "Damn."

She ran to the window and flung it open, letting in a cold blast of spring air and a soft gray owl. "Pride." Berna whispered, stroking the owl's feathers. The owl hooted once and dropped a letter on her desk before nipping her gently and flying off into the darkness.

Berna opened the lengthy letter warily. When the last line, written in a delicate female hand had been read, the letter curled up in a ball of harmless green flame before evaporating completely. The blue-eyed girl sat down slowly, head in hands.

"Anything for you. But… why me?"

~*~

The aging woman sitting at her desk smiled as she scanned the lines of the letter in her large hands. It was a smile of satisfaction. It was also a smile of calculation, and partly a smile of triumph. She took off her hideously gaudy glasses and shook her head, curls bouncing rigidly around her face.

Rita Skeeter was satisfied with the "scoop" her snoops had found for her. She was calculating the best way to twist it with her own talents, as she was banned from using Quick-Quotes-Quills. And she was triumphant for her own reasons.

"Finally… a way to get back to that wretched Granger girl."

~*~

Harry laid his head down on the arm of the couch, willing the tears at the corners of his eyes not to spill. "This cannot be happening…" He blinked hard and pulled off his glasses. Raising his tousled head, he squinted at the framed Muggle photograph on the table beside him.

Hermione smiled into the sun, an unseen breeze blowing her hair away from her face, making her the teenager that she really was. Harry touched the cool glass. "Hermione…" he whispered in a voice hoarse with wistful sadness. "Why?"

~*~

"Why?" Hermione laughed as Draco pulled her down to him, their faces inches apart. His eyes twinkled up at her. "Why what?" He smiled. "Why am I marrying you?" She teasingly pulled a stray lock of his silvery-blond hair.

"Is that a serious question, and does it require a serious answer?"

Hermione laid down beside him on the narrow sofa, their bodies overlapping. "Yes, it's a serious question." Draco propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at her, holding her gaze. "Hmm… let's see."

He touched her forehead. "You're a wonderfully smart, sweet, beautiful woman." Then he laid another, slim, cool finger on one of her closed eyelids. "We fit together in ways no one could ever dream off… you complement me, I complement you." He touched the other eyelid gently, smiling as Hermione smiled. "If you're a wonderful, smart, sweet and beautiful woman, I'm a wonderful, smart, sweet and handsome man."

Draco leaned down and touched his lips to hers before softly whispering: "And I'm marrying you because I love you… heart and soul."

~*~

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