I am still unhappy with the title, but I'll have time to alter that before I formally post this story on the or sites.
So here you go Hermione/Draco fans:
A Bond of Ribbon and of Lace (working title)
By verdant quest
author url:
rating: R
pairing: HG/DM
summary: Predictably Fate is out to get you; and there is no escape.
chapter one: The Legend of the Werthy-Pendle Wedding Garter
King's Cross Station, London
Missing the train was completely unlike Hermione's usual behavior. Nothing that morning had gone as planned, though. Perhaps Karma was trying to warn her about something. The power outage at 4am had ensured that none of the Granger family constituents were going to wake up on time, due to now un-programmed alarm-clocks. It was after 10:15am that her mother glanced over at the clock face next to her pillow and realized that the digits were flashing, which had inevitably led to the frantic scurrying around for the next half hour that then caused them to need to use floo powder in order to reach London in time. Unfortunately traffic from the Leaky Cauldron to King's Cross Station was heavy and although they had hastily dashed through the station and to platform 9 3/4, they had still arrived a fraction of a second behind the 11 o'clock departure time, only to watch the caboose disappear out of sight glumly. Their only option was to then contact the school for other travel accommodations.
"Hermione, dear, why don't we just go back to Diagon Alley and find one of those nice post owls? We can have a spot of tea while we wait for a response from the headmaster; what do you say?" Her mother inquired reassuringly.
Ordinarily she would not have foreseen any difficulty with this plan of action, but she was well aware that her father was already impatient with the standing around, as he had a mid-afternoon appointment with the family solicitor across Town.
"Mum, Dad, why don't I just take the floo to The Three Broomsticks tavern in Hogsmeade? Then you don't have to wait around with me. I'll just spend some time browsing through the shops until the train arrives. No one need concern themselves with arranging for later travel connections for me. You both have plenty to cope with without me getting underfoot an extra day, and I know the Hogwarts staff don't need to go out of their way just for me."
Her parents hemmed and hawed and then conferred together for a bit before her father nodded,
"We'll just put you in a cab, if that's alright with you, sweetheart?"
Hermione smiled, relieved "Of course."
15 minutes later Hermione was waving goodbye from the rear of a taxi cab.
The Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley, London
Having procured her own bag of floo powder, Hermione had immediately returned to the pub to use the fireplace.
"Hogsmeade, The Three Broomsticks" Hermione enunciated as clearly as she could manage in the smoky air. And with a woosh of air the nauseating flashes of floo stops whizzed by for several minutes, and then stopped dead, knocking Hermione free of the grate and tossing both her, her cat and her luggage out onto the swept, but scarred wooden floor of The Three Broomsticks.
The Three Broomsticks, Hogsmeade
Madame Rosmerta hurried forward to assist the fallen girl. "Miss, are you alright?" She said with a fair amount of concern for her newly arrived customer.
Picking herself up, and brushing off her muggle ensemble briskly, Hermione took stock.
"I believe I'll survive this ordeal, Madame." She said, not without a shade of dryness. "But thankyou for your interest."
Madame Rosmerta merely nodded and asked if the young lady wanted anything from the bar.
Nodding agreeably, "Yes, a butterbeer would be lovely."
And the woman bustled off toward the bar. Hermione located a seat at an unoccupied table, and then attempted to pacify her pet half-kneazle, half-feline.
Sometime later, after being assured that no harm would come of leaving the bulk of her packages behind the bar, Hermione strolled out to re-familiarize herself with the local shops.
Hogsmeade
By 3 o'clock Hermione had owled her parents to reassure them as to her well being, and had visited most of her usual haunts in Hogsmeade. Treading a trifle off the beaten path she passed a small lingerie boutique that was irresistible. Entering the delicates shop, she noted that Wizarding lingerie appeared to be a bit more creative than the standards sold in muggle stores. Pieces from all periods of fashion history were displayed, and some styles of undergarments frankly baffled Hermione as to purpose. Sporadically placed vintage and historical items were set up on display as well. One whale boned corset looked uncomfortable even on the mannequin, but it was exquisitely crafted.
"May I assist you, Miss?" A friendly voice intruded. Looking up Hermione was relieved to see a fairly normal-looking middle-aged witch, garbed in unadorned navy-coloured robes had approached. The sales woman's expression was pleasant and capable.
"I'm not sure that I know what I'm looking for, but I wouldn't mind some input." Hermione allowed graciously. Typically she disliked sales people interfering with her shopping practices, but she honestly could use the direction today.
"Would you like me to pull a few of our products down for you to try on behind the chinese screens? A number of different styles would suit you, I believe; you are fortunate in your build."
Hermione soon found herself bogged down in satin, silk, lace and frippery of every kind. The garments were spelled to automatically mold themselves to fit whatever dimensions the wearer possessed. Mentally, Hermione began to tally up the cost of everything she had looked well in thus far; it was steep, so she wouldn't be going to Hogsmeade again until after Christmas break. While her purchases were being rung up, Hermione floated around the store, admiring the craftsmanship that went into each and every creation. The historical examples, especially, interested her. One particularly gorgeous wedding garter caught Hermione's eye, and as she approached the garter felt more and more familiar to her somehow. Reaching out, she daintily caressed the lace edging the silk. A gasp from the other side of the room, surprised Hermione into squeezing the hand with the garter into a protective and possessive fist.
"Miss! Oh, I have never in all my time here seen anyone able to touch the Werthy-Pendle's wedding garter! This is a miracle, a Werthy-Pendle is in our shop! Wait until I tell the manager! She'll be beside herself. Oh, please wait here, I'll be right back." The shop lady then ran into the back room, leaving a thunder-struck young woman in her wake.
Miss Emeline Braithewaite's Ladies' Underwear Boutique, Hogsmeade
Miss Emeline Braithewaite was a little old lady who had opened the lingerie shop in Hogsmeade some seventy years earlier after the demise of her fiancee and her subsequent refusal to honor her family by marrying another man for money. Lingerie was her hobby and she designed the patterns for her original collection for the first forty years that she remained in business. Now, though, after many years in retirement, she seldom ventured from the safety of her private rooms above the store. This afternoon was no exception. Hermione had found herself ushered upstairs and into a charming Victorian decorating style parlour and offered a nice cup of tea along with introductions, smalltalk and the promise of a full explanation for Mrs. Sandra Mellow's (the shop lady) outburst downstairs earlier.
"My dear, I can't tell you what an honour it is to meet the descendant of such a prestigious family, or rather families. I'm guessing from your reaction, however, that these names, Werthy and Pendle, mean nothing to you. Yes, I had heard that the latest generation of those noble lines had all but died out, and that what was left of them were incorporated elsewhere. No doubt you were adopted by a nice muggle family, judging from your clothes. Well, no matter. You doubtless would have learned of the truth eventually anyway, when you started the change." As Miss Braithewaite had chattered on at a confusing speed, Hermione and Mrs. Mellow had held their tongues, but now Hermione felt obligated to interrupt if she was to process anything the witch had to say.
"The change? What do you mean, Miss Braithewaite, ma'am?"
"Why your appearance, my dear. Your glamour must make you take after your adopted family, correct? In a short time, at the peak of your developmental change you will revert back to the appearance of your biological ancestors. Fortunately both families were remarkably handsome physically. It was not uncommon for Werthy and Pendle women to be hailed as the beauties of their time. The men, too, as I seem to recall were quite attractive. But we digress...I should, of course, begin with how I Sandra recognized you. In her excitement, she was very likely quite incoherent. That garter you are clutching is the ancestral wedding exchange marker. A Werthy bride wore that garter on the day of her marriage bonding ceremony to a Pendle groom, on the wedding night the groom accepted the garter as a promise of fidelity and happiness within their marriage. It symbolized the consummation of the marriage and the noble honour of a woman, a concept which had lost its meaning for many centuries, and was not in common practice even at the time of the exchange. The marriage of the Werthy-Pendle couple was successful on all counts, and the significance of the garter's presence in such a magic-fraught time within the relationship left a mark on the garter...only a virginal and honourable Werthy-Pendle woman may touch the garter before her marriage, and only a faithful and trusting husband may remove it and keep it on their wedding night, which then becomes his to keep, as a sign of their bond, until their own daughter is ready for marriage. And that is why I am certain that you are the newest Werthy-Pendle bride in a long succession of happy marriages. Congratulations, my dear, you have a bright future ahead of you. Only those destined for happiness with their lifemate would gravitate toward the garter."
Uncertainty about both the story, and Miss Braithewaite's sanity passed through Hermione's mind. Admittedly, their was a strong probability that she was adopted. The Granger's had never spoken of Hermione's birth, her mother's pregnancy, or her first few years. They had gone out of their way to make her feel loved and appreciated, and they had rarely denied her anything that would potentially lead to a fruitful existence. Granted, most parents want what will be best for their children, but Hermione's parents had gone the extra mile, time and again. It had always made her suspicious, and the only reason she had not asked whether she had been adopted was that she resembled her parents so closely. Now the future of her outward appearance had been called into question, along with her origins.
"Miss Braithewaite, may I purchase the garter from you?" She asked after a moments thought. If she had the garter, she could forget returning here after she got all the necessary research done to check out both the fairystory and the family history of the Werthy-Pendle clans.
"Well of course you may take it with you, my dear girl. It belongs to you; I was merely holding onto it, until the right person came along to collect it. I'm glad it happened in my lifetime, I would have regretted never meeting you."
A short time later, Hermione left the shop and found herself laden down with a plethora of packages, and with a great amount of fodder to occupy her brain.
Hogsmeade Station, Hogsmeade
The boys were delighted to see her. Naturally they had been terrified when she hadn't arrived on the train, skipping out of the duties that prefects and certainly Head Girl were anticipated to do; Harry had even thought about sending Hedwig off with a note to find her. Fortunately for the beleaguered bird, he had thought better of the hasty suggestion. She explained how she had missed the train, and then used the floo system to get to Hogsmeade several hours ahead of the Hogwarts Express' arrival time. The group of young people grabbed the nearest thestral-driven carriage and spent the entire trip up to the catching up on their summer hols.
Hogwarts
The evening Welcome Feast was largely uneventful. Though halfway through she'd been horrified to learn, from Lavender Brown, that the ferret himself had been elected Head Boy. Knowing that she could expect to live and work in tandem with Draco Malfoy, did absolutely nothing for Hermione's morale. Perhaps it might have been better if she had turned down the offer---but no, Hermione could not imagine not accepting the honour and responsibility of the position of Head Girl of Hogwarts, 1998. Following the ingestion of copious amounts of unhealthy, but hardy and appetizing food and listening to the usual start of term announcements, Deputy Headmistress, Professor of Transfigurations at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Minerva McGonagall led the Head students to their new accommodations for rest and work for the school year.
The Head Students' Quarters, Hogwarts
It was not in one of the towers, but it certainly wasn't housed in the dungeons either. Instead it seemed to be in roughly the middle (though not the center, given the generous number of windows) of the castle. Their new rooms consisted of private bedchambers cum sitting rooms cum baths and a common room between for studying, teacher or student conferences and prefect meetings. Mr. Malfoy verbally expressed his appreciation of the increased level of privacy offered by the arrangement to Professor McGonagall, and Hermione did have to agree that it was a definite improvement after six years of rooming with the gossip floozies (Patil and Brown) of Gryffindor House. After McGonagall had taken her leave, Hermione stepped over to the Head Girl's rooms and barely passed through the doorway before stopping to admire her new home. She was pushed rather rudely aside by Malfoy as he entered to take a comparison look at what was offered. "Hey, that's blatant favouritism! You have a bidet in your bath! How come my bath doesn't come with one?" Mentally consigning Malfoy to the devil for stupidity, Hermione puffed out a sigh before answering, "Malfoy, men don't have any real need for a bidet. They were predominantly designed for women. I'm sure your bathroom came equipped with a few male extras---possibly a urinal? Don't be unnecessarily ungrateful."
"Harrumph!" Malfoy glared at her briefly, and then considered her face thoughtfully (for a ferret). He stuck is face in close to her own and appeared to be appraising her. "What are you doing? Looking for freckles? Back off!" He chuckled evilly, but did not comply with her request (see order).
"I would think that I have every right to thoroughly check out the merchandise before purchasing the product. If you were pureblooded, Granger, I would be expected to marry you before the year was out. Afterall you're Head Girl and that has a certain cache among certain sets. All in all, I have to say 'what a pity' it really is too bad that you're dirty-blooded, physically you aren't half-bad."
Malfoy's comments were rude and obnoxious, but because of the discussion she had had earlier that day, they struck her as potentially useful and important. It was late, but as long as she had an untapped resource cluttering up her bedchamber, she might as well make use of him. "Say, Malfoy, do you happen to know about the Werthy-Pendle family?"
Startled, Draco Malfoy blinked and ran over the earlier conversation...how had Granger jumped from him and marriage to some Wizarding family? Oh, right, marriage..."Sure, why do you ask? Not that I care."
"I heard a little story about the family today, and I thought maybe you might know if it's true or not." She said carefully.
"Huh. Well if you mean the Werthy-Pendle marriage theory, then yeah...it's true enough. Lucky bastards. Werthy-Pendle women are real beautiful and very strong witches. Anyone who marries them is blessed with a good future and a foxy wife." Hermione snickered "...foxy?" Draco ignored her pointedly.
"Yeah, anyway...where'd you hear about that. The Werthy-Pendles have all but died out, I thought." Hermione shook her head and pressed on, "What about the story of the garter? Is that also true?"
"Well, sure. That's how they choose who marries well in the family. Only the women who can touch the garter will be guaranteed to be happy. What's all this interest about, Granger? Did you meet someone claiming to know a surviving member of the clan?"
"Not exactly. I found the garter at a shop in Hogsmeade today. I could pick it up, and the owner was so excited that she told me the whole legend. I just assumed she was a kooky old witch, you know a little soft in the head, but if you are also telling the truth then I need to sit down and compose for my parents a howler. How dare they not tell me that I was adopted?"
Draco Malfoy stared in amazement at the young woman before him; this girl was a Werthy-Pendle? He definitely needed to keep a treasure like her for himself. He sure hoped he could convince her to overlook six years of animosity and hard feelings.
End chapter one.