Chapter 14- Hear the Bells
Three weeks of planning after graduation and over two weeks after everyone left and Hermione was about to walk down the aisle. She was at the entrance to the Great Hall, which Professors Sprout and Flitwick had decorated with flowers and glittery fairies.
She was dressed in a cream silk dress robe, with flared sleeves and a modest V-neck cut. This was her "something new," courtesy of her father, who was trying to show some support for her decision. He was beside her now, ready to escort her, though she would have preferred Remus or Harry.
Her "something old" was the string of pearls that graced her neck that had once been her grandmother's. "Something borrowed" was the flower circlet and veil she was wearing on her head. Mrs. Weasley - Molly - was lending it to her.
"Something blue"- the flowers she carried and the ribbon that bound them.
Hermione looked around as she took her first steps into the Hall. Her mother was sitting in front. The entire Weasley clan (minus, of course, Percy, who was in a high security prison) was there as well, and a bunch of her friends that she had invited. Molly and George were holding her babies. Kori was her bridesmaid, Melantha her matron-of-honor, and Ginny her maid-of-honor. She also had two "bridesmen," Harry and Ron.
On Severus's side were several members of the Order, including Sturgis Podmore and his family, and all of the teachers. Next to him was Remus, who was his bestman, and Draco, his groomsman. Dumbledore was officiating, so he was standing at the very front.
When her eyes landed on Severus, though, everything and everyone else faded into the background. Her father placing her hand in Severus's made her heart soar. This is it. I am finally going to marry the man I love. She was the happiest she could ever remember being.
She was pledging her vows when all hell suddenly broke loose. The doors of the Great Hall blew off their hinges and in strode none other than Voldemort itself, flanked by at least thirty Death Eaters.
"Well, well, it seemss to me that we've crashed a party," Voldemort commented flippantly, oblivious to the nearly hundred people pointing their wands at them, including Severus and Hermione.
Severus stepped in front of Hermione and sneered. "Tom. Fancy seeing you here. I don't recall seeing your name on the guest list."
The self-proclaimed Dark Lord hissed in rage at the use of his given name. "You will pay for your betrayal, Severusss!! Crucio!!" And so the fight began.
Hermione stayed close to her babies, protecting those holding them to keep them from having to fight themselves. She heard Molly cry out and Kalila wail. A Death Eater had her in a choke hold. She was clutching Kalila to her with one arm and the other was clawing at her attacker.
Hermione didn't think; like she had at graduation, she hauled back her fist and punched him in the silvery mask. Molly pulled free and held Kalila closer, gasping. The Death Eater cursed long and loud, giving Hermione time to stun him.
Severus was next to her, so when she saw a Death Eater attacking Draco, she was confident that he would watch out for her babies. She ran and jumped on the bad guys back, pressed her wand into the furious man's chest and murmured two words. "Petrificus Totalus." Hermione pushed the creep forward as his appendages snapped together and he fell flat on his face.
Before Draco could even think about thanking her, an unmasked Lucius Malfoy grabbed her and threw her halfway across the room. She landed with a crash on the food table. Her wand clattered out of reach.
Hermione hurriedly clambered off the table but had no time to go for her wand before Lucius was in front of her. "Looky what I have here."
Hermione reached behind her carefully. There were two frying pans. She gripped the handles tightly, grimacing with pain. The pans were very hot. "Don't you hear the wedding bells, scum?" she growled.
"I'm afraid there's not going to be a wedding," he sneered, aiming his wand at her.
She swung the pans with all her strength. They hit on each side of his head. "How about now?"
His eyes rolled back into his head. "What pretty bells," he said in a breathy voice before collapsing in a heap at her feet.
Hermione dropped the pans on top of him and grabbed her wand, wincing when it touched the blisters on her palms. She jumped, looked around wildly for her children and still-fiancé. What she saw made her pale.
Voldemort and Severus were dueling. George and Molly were sitting in the corner behind Severus, shooting off spells when they could. Hermione shoved friend and foe alike to get over to protect the ones she loved.
She regained some control over herself when she saw Harry fighting his way towards her. She was hit, suddenly, by an idea. But will it work?
It would. It had to. She wasn't called one of the most powerful witches in a century for nothing.
"Hey Voldie!" she yelled. The reptilian head snapped towards her. In that instant when he was frozen in anger, she uttered the two words that she never thought would pass her lips. "Avada Kedavra."
A bright green light burst out of her wand and hit the creature- she no longer considered Voldemort to be even remotely human- on the chest. It- or he, if you must- collapsed where he stood. Well, his body did, anyway. A black shadowy spirit was still there.
"Now, Harry!!" Hermione screamed.
Harry quickly but deliberately pointed his wand at the spirit thing. "Avada Kedavra." The spirit didn't move fast enough. It was hit by the beam of green light and seemed to explode into nothingness.
In that instant, it was as if the room froze. The wedding guests came out of it first, incapacitating the remaining Death Eaters, who were still staring horrified at Voldemort's body.
Hermione turned to Severus. "Are you all right? And Keefe and Kali?" she asked, wild-eyed.
"I'm fine," Severus told her.
"They're fine as well," Molly and George said at the same time.
With those reassurances Hermione's eyes fluttered and she fainted. Severus barely managed to catch her before she hit the floor.
k k k k k k k k k k k k k k
Hermione came to still in the Great Hall, which looked like the warzone it was. Madam Pomphrey was tending to the people who were hurt the worst.
Her head felt woozy. "What's . . . umm . . . huh?"
"My sentiments exactly," Harry said. He was sitting across rom her, Kalila cradled in his arms. "Good job, Hermione."
"I couldn't let it hurt my babies or Sev," she felt a need to explain herself.
"It's okay, Hermione," Draco reassured her, reaching over and placing his hand over her clenched fist, still holding her wand. She winced and pulled her hand towards her with a hiss. She carefully opened her fist, showing the blisters. "How did that happen?!" he exclaimed.
"I popped your father over the head with the sizzling hot pans on the table."
"So that's why he's babbling like he's three years old. I believe . . ." here he had to pause because he was laughing so hard. "I believe he asked Dumbledore what the shiny stick he was holding did."
They all had a laugh, which relieved some of their tension, but Hermione dissolved into tears. "My wedding! It's ruined!" she wailed.
Severus pulled her onto his lap. He really didn't know what to say, since he felt the same way. So he said nothing, but pulled open her hands and muttered some healing charms. It didn't completely take care of the wounds, but it helped.
The last curse that she had thrown had drained Hermione, since she had put most of her power into it. Consequently, she was exhausted and fell asleep there in his arms.
Harry looked just about done in as well, so Fred took Kalila from him and Ginny pulled him so that he was leaning against her. Hers and Severus's eyes met over their lovers sleeping bodies, and an understanding passed between them. They were much alike, really. Both had been touched by evil and both had survived, and now their loved ones had just killed the most feared wizard of all time.
"So," Ginny smiled at him. "Just another normal day to those near and dear to Harry Potter and friends, huh?"
"I suppose so," Severus agreed.
"Definitely," Ron said emphatically. "But no more. The Boy-Who-Lived is now the Boy-Who-Conquered. Bad guy all gone. Life will be normal again." He paused and then shook his head. "Wait. Normal has always been nearly dying at least once a year."
Their group laughed wearily and huddled closer together, taking comfort from each other. A new era had started, and while they were pretty sure it was going to be better, change is change, and change scared everyone. That, and they hadn't come through this unscathed. Several people had lost their lives today, on both sides, so a time of mourning was due with the celebration that was to come.