Preparations

"In omnibus negotiis prius quam aggrediare, adhibenda est praeparatio diligens - In all matters, before beginning, a diligent preparation should be made. (Marcus Tullius Cicero. De officiis I, 21.)

Eleanor shivered in the cool October air and unsheathed her wand for a warming spell. She stood almost naked in the center of a tall tent that could hold about ten people, and she was wearing nothing but a thin, floor-long sleeveless silk shift, stockings and a loosely-laced corset. At least the floor was thickly covered with plush carpets to keep her feet warm

"Alors, mademoiselle, vous etes prêt?" asked a tall, slender witch in elegantly cut mauve wool robes.

Eleanor sighed and cast a slightly nervous glance at her companion, a young auror, who sat on a chair with two house-elves pinning her hair in place. "Oui, madame," she answered.

"S'il vous plait, tenez la chaise la-bas," was the next command. She gripped the back-rest of one of the sturdy chairs that had been set out for guests to sit and a moment later she felt a knee pushed not too gently into the small of her back as the French witch began tightening the strings of her corset.

"Ow," she gasped. "I'll pass out before I even manage to skip the broom!"

The witch in the velvet robes gave the laces another rather vicious tug before tying them and straightening the stays. "Now, now, mademoiselle, a beautiful dress like this cries for a tiny waist. See, your 'usband will be able to encircle you almost with his 'ands now."

Eleanor tried to breathe flatly. "And that is a good thing?" she asked dubiously.

"Ah, juste une minute, 'ere are your robes now. Michelle!" The witch's assistant had slipped into the tent holding a huge pile of cloth which the two women now pulled, buttoned, fastened and tugged into place until they turned their client around and Eleanor was finally looking at herself in a tall standing mirror. She barely recognized herself.

The basic gown she was wearing was cut from pale grey rippling, whispering spider silk so supple and light it felt like woven air itself. The cloth encased her torso tightly leaving the tops of her shoulders bare and billowed into full, sumptuous sleeves. The skirts fell like cascading water over her hips, flared out and trailed behind her with a soft luxurious swish as she walked. She could have worn the under-dress by itself and it would have been the envy of everyone.

But the robe-makers had layered a second gown on top of it. It was an intricate lacework made of cloth-strips about two inches in breadth and delicately hemmed in black silk. The strips were cut from shimmering dark green velvet and arranged in a lose Celtic knotwork pattern weaving over and under each other, that encased the sleeves and bodice of the dress and fell over the skirt. She was reminded of serpents slithering all over her in a silent, graceful dance.

"It's beautiful," she breathed. "You have outdone yourselves, très beau!"

"Hm," commented Marigold with an appraising shake of her head. "It's gorgeous all right, but it's so – Malfoy, if you know what I mean."

Eleanor smiled. "That was the idea."

Just then the tent-flap moved letting in some chilly autumn air and the tall slender figure of a witch in elegant blue robes. Eleanor took one look at the high-backed nose, curved mouth and icy-grey eyes to know that despite the woman's dark brown hair she had a Malfoy before her. She stepped up to the woman, who regarded her gravely.

"Cornelia De Lacy-Malfoy," the witch said. "You must be Lucius' fiancé." Despite her generally reserved demeanor she shook Eleanor's hand with some warmth.

Eleanor smiled at her. "Yes, Eleanor Sartorius. I am glad and honored that you and your husband will be attending the handfasting and that you consented to take the positions of the Speakers of the North and South for the ceremony, especially since Lucius' other sister was unable to make it."

The newcomer gave her a wry look. "Yes, yellow silk," she said. "With my complexion that is quite a sacrifice, though my husband Armand will of course look stunning in red velvet. I am very pleased to meet you. It seems my brother's taste is still proving impeccable, as always."

Eleanor inclined her head at the compliment and introduced Marigold as her Maid of Honor and the other attendants in the bridal tent; and then the French robe-makers concentrated on Cornelia to fit her with a stunning gown of deep golden silk, the traditional color for the representative of the Earth element at a handfasting.

Having finished with the auror the house elves changed over to work on Eleanor's coiffure while other attendants helped Marigold with her dress. In a mere two hours the Summoner would call forth the bride, and they still had a lot of work to do.


"Whose idea was this again? Remind me!" growled Lucius Malfoy yanking on a silvery silk rope that had snarled around some tree roots. He was accompanied by Gaius Belisarius and Marcellus Tethering, the Malfoy family lawyers.

All three men busied themselves around a clearing in the old park behind Malfoy Manor setting out the traditional magical circle for the handfasting ceremony. The clearing had served the family for this purpose since the ancient oaks of the park had first been planted, and despite the tedium of having to prepare the grounds himself as the groom, Lucius was not about to deviate from this tradition.

He had finally freed the rope and Belisarius, who served as his Guardian, or what muggles would have probably call the Best Man, helped him to lay it out to mark off the sacred grounds for the guests and attendants.

"Look at it this way, Lucius," said the pale, ageless senior partner of Belisarius & Tethering in Knockturn Alley. "It's not raining, the ground is dry, it's not even very cold, and if that doesn't please you, remember that in a few hours it will be all over and you'll enjoy the embraces of your wife."

Lucius dropped the last segment of the rope in place and pulled a silk handkerchief from the pocket of his elegant black robes to wipe off his hands. He already wore the grey spider silk shirt and shimmering green velvet waistcoat that matched his future wife's dress. He had just opened his mouth for a reply when several people appeared in the clearing.

First a house-elf prostrated himself. "Please master, the caterers say the decorators have it all wrong with the table arrangements, they are in the Silver Hall now quarrelling. A few have pulled their wands already. Nibbs is very afraid."

Lucius sighed. "This is a bloody nightmare. I should have remembered from last time. Marcellus, can you go back with the elf and sort it out?"

The lawyer nodded. In contrast to his colleague, who had dressed almost more elegantly than the groom, he wore his usual drab grey, the only concession to the importance of the event being the velvet lining of his outer cloak.

Next a man in flamboyant red robes approached. On most people they would have looked slightly gaudy, but Lucius' brother-in-law's pale skin, dark eyes and shoulder-long raven black hair made the ensemble look rather dramatic. He was followed by a group of several witches and wizards and led them over to the elder Malfoy.

"Armand," said Lucius. "I trust you were furnished with everything you needed to get changed at the house?"

The other man nodded. "Yes, the robe-makers and house-elves were most accommodating. I assume the Speaker of the South has the usual duties?" His black brows arched.

Lucius pointed to a low table swathed in red cloth within the circle. "Of course, we have no deviation from tradition. Your station is over here. I'll send the Official over as soon as she arrives. Cornelia is still with the bride."

Armand De Lacy looked around the clearing. "Well, then I'll leave these folks with you. They are from Durmstrang." He bowed sharply. "Headmistress, professors…"

Inga Magnusdottir, the headmistress of Durmstrang Institute now shook Lucius' hand with a most disarming smile. "Lucius – I may call you Lucius after our last encounter at the school, yes? We are so pleased that you invited us. And of course Fritz and Isadora are thrilled that Eleanor asked them to officiate as Speakers of the West and East. And I am to be the Gatekeeper! Such an honor."

Lucius smirked at the witch. He vividly recalled her bout of outrageous flirting with him the last time he had run into her at school during one of his visits. She was very capable at transfiguration and had taken at least ten years off her age during their conversation.

She now sidled up to him and whispered in to his ear. "Of course I am most cross with you regarding the wedding."

Lucius shook his head: the woman had nerves. He wondered if she would dare to be so blatant if Eleanor was actually around. The witch and the wizard the headmistress had mentioned stood to the side looking slightly embarrassed.

"Why is that," asked the older Malfoy. "Shouldn't you be happy for your former colleague?"

"Oh, but here is the problem: her marriage to you robbed me of a very capable head of house and Defense teacher. And now that you have taken her away from us, of course you have no reason to visit, and we are denied your company as well. Most vexatious."

"Well, I apologize, Madam Magnusdottir," said Lucius rather formally. "I hope the feast will compensate you somewhat."

"Only if I do get to dance with the groom," crooned the witch, but fortunately Lucius was saved from her further attentions by a discrete cough from behind. The Official from the Ministry of Magic had arrived.

Lucius quickly pointed Isadora Akers, the astronomy teacher, further into the woods towards the bridal tent, so she could get changed and sent Fritz Hauer, the quidditch coach, back to the Manor with a house elf to do the same. He then excused himself, leaving the headmistress to briefly scan the clearing for other victims and single-mindedly make her way over to Armand.

He grinned now. His sister Cornelia took a very dim view of witches putting the moves on her rather good-looking husband. This should prove amusing.

A moment later he found himself in conversation with the Ministry witch, who would be officiating at the handfasting, going over the arrangements. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Belisarius help a few servants set out the stations for the Speakers of the four elements. A house-elf was busy strewing the traditional rosemary sprigs and orange blossoms on the ground.

The Official finally took her tools and walked over to a large oak stump in the middle of the circle that was cut off at about waist-height and carefully leveled and smoothed. She opened a bundle of cloth and began her own preparations.

Lucius turned, stretched and surveyed the proceedings. Aside from a few annoying glitches everything seemed to be progressing relatively smoothly. It was time for him to return to the Manor and to begin greeting his guests. He shouted over to Belisarius to keep a watch on things on the clearing and strode back into the park.

As he left the trees behind and reached the groomed lawn on the west side of the Manor he saw three people walk towards him: a small dwarf of a man dressed in brown and green, a boy with shoulder-long blond hair the exact shade of his own and a wizard wearing plain, smartly cut, but unadorned black robes.

Lucius' lips compressed in anger as he regarded the third man. He hadn't thought that the Hogwarts potions master would dare to show his face at his home after the affair with the exsanguiniumpoison in September. The traitorous Death Eater had more guts than he had given him credit for.

This behavior mirrored either the ignorance of a clear conscience – which seemed to be still Eleanor's pet theory, who to his annoyance could not truly credit Snape with the attempt on his life; or it bore traces of an arrogance born from an unshakeable sense of supremacy and invincibility – which was what Lucius was inclined to believe, and it made him uneasy. To avoid suspicion Lucius had invited his son's teacher as head of house for Slytherin, together with the headmaster and the other heads of houses, but he had fully expected him to stay away.

The tall, dark-haired man arranged his features in a poor imitation of a smile and held out his hand. "Lucius," he said. "Good to see you. They told us you were at the clearing, getting the circle set up."

The blond wizard ignored the hand. "Severus," he said stiffly. "I see you brought Draco. How are things at school?"

The potions master raised an eyebrow at his fellow-Slytherin's snub and shrugged his shoulders. "Fine. As you probably expected, Professors Dumbledore, McGonagal and Sprout were 'busy', but Professor Flitwick and myself thought we should at least get Draco here safely. After all, a Malfoy party is hardly an occasion to be missed.

I noticed you have managed to requisition quite a few aurors for the event. Looks like your leverage with the Ministry has improved since the summer."

"Quite," said Lucius with a menacing undertone. "The Death Eaters will find it harder to worm their way into this place than they did a month ago."

"Quite," echoed Snape with the ghost of a smirk, and Lucius found himself about ready to hex the guy. The arrogance and nerve of the man was almost insufferable. 'Soon, very soon,' he quietly told himself. He turned towards his son.

"Well, Draco, you better get ready for your duties as the Summoner," he said neutrally. He had last seen the boy at the hospital and had been torn between embarrassment and surprise at the amount of affection and emotion his heir had shown at his bedside.

The younger Malfoy grinned at him, obviously pleased to see him. "Yes father," he said. "Actually I got the owl with your note, but I'm still not sure what exactly I'm supposed to do. Maybe you want to walk me through it."

Lucius gave a curt nod. "Let's go back to the house, Draco. The robe-makers should have your garments ready. I will instruct you in your duties. Severus, professor, there are refreshments laid out for early arrivals in the Silver Hall. Help yourselves."

He placed a hand on his son's shoulder, feeling relief at being able to separate the boy from his teacher and briefly compressed his lips. "Severus, I'm sure you know your way around the place..."