Chapter 20
Returning Fathers
"If you're Mum's dad, then you're our grandpa," Nathan observed in his usual quiet voice.
"Why don't you live with Grandma?" Rachel asked.
Njall took the time to gather his thoughts before answering her question. "Most men fancy women, and most women fancy men. But there are some women who, for some reason, don't fancy men, and men who don't fancy women. After your mother was born, I found out that I was one of those men."
"Oh, so you're like Captain Sharif and that bloke who does Mum's hair," Xander piped up, showing remarkable understanding and memory retention for someone so young. Ginny had been there when Gudrun had tried to explain things to her children after they saw Padma and Wendy behaving rather affectionately, and had taken old Captain Sharif and Sergio as another example.
Njall cast an inquiring glance at Heidi, who smiled and nodded.
"Yes, I suppose I am."
Rachel shrugged. "Oh, okay. You can sit with us, Grandpa." She patted the spot next to her on the bench.
"Thank you, Rachel."
"You know who I am?"
Njall smiled. "Of course I do. Your grandmother showed me pictures of each of you." He nodded towards Nathan on the far side of the bench. "That's Nathaniel, with Xander next to him, and Buttercup and Oprah are in the middle. The young man next to them is also in many of the pictures your grandmother has. Robert, isn't it?" he asked, extending his hand.
Robert reached across Mary to shake it. "Yes sir … and you sure don't shake hands like a fairy. Good grip."
"Robert!" Heidi exclaimed in outrage.
"I'm sorry, sir. I meant homosexual."
Njall laughed. "He clearly meant no offence. It's okay, Miss…"
"Gravenstein," Heidi offered.
"Indeed? German or Austrian branch?"
"Austrian."
"Ah, then we're a bit more distantly related. My grandmother was from the German branch."
"If you are a Squib, it means your parents were purebloods, right?" Hermione asked.
Njall offered her a wry grin. "Too much so, I'm afraid. Until my mother—who is half Danish and half German—my father's side of the family hasn't imported non-Icelandic blood for at least two hundred years. Muggle or Muggle-born blood was completely out of the question. Small wonder that one in four of all my cousins and second cousins on my father's side are Squibs."
Hermione nodded. "That's the reason I asked. I read a report about the high percentage of Squib births among Icelandic pure-bloods. It also said that bigotry there is much worse than it ever was in England, even though there are no violent expressions of it. Half-bloods are second class citizens, and Muggle-borns are encouraged to leave the island."
"I'm afraid this is true, though I have no idea why. Iceland has always been a closely knit society, but the Muggles have had far less trouble coming to terms with the multicultural reality. Some of their legislation towards non-white immigrants from outside the European Union is still dubious. It took me ages to sign on a Chinese undersea mapper for my ship because of it. But it is nothing compared to the Icelandic wizardry's xenophobia."
"So how come Gudrun never knew you're a Squib?"
"Verna didn't know either, until I told her a month ago," Njall explained. "That's when she told me about Mary's wedding and that she would kill me if I didn't attend. I sent a letter to the groom and Gudrun's husband through the Canadian Magical Government's long distance mail service, and here I am. Nicolai and Mr Kelly thought it would be a great surprise for Mary. I visited her every year in Canada, and I'm happy to say that we got along famously. I have missed her these last ten years."
The sound of trumpets heralding the start of the ceremony cut off any further interrogation Hermione might have wanted to conduct. Ginny sat up straighter and gazed towards the main entrance of the temple. Nicolai, Ironheart, and an old Etti priestess wearing brilliantly white ceremonial robes with gold trimmings around the sleeves and hem, were calmly walking towards the main altar, with the people in the pews rising as Nicolai passed them.
He was the only one in the wedding party who was more conventionally armed. His etched steel breastplate, matching shoulder armour and broadsword were relics from a time when Shamballah had not yet embraced pacifism. A long mantle of midnight blue velvet, trimmed in silver embroidery, was laid over the shoulder armour and hung nearly to the floor. A matching sleeveless surcoat with a high collar was worn underneath the breastplate, and the quilted silk sleeves of the gambeson underneath the surcoat could be seen. Plain dark blue trousers were tucked into leather boots dyed a dark blue to match. Nicolai also had his wand, in a slim sheath hung from the same belt that also held his sword. A simple silvery circlet with an abstract design of twining vines and leaves rested on his brow, completing his regal look.
Ironheart wore a sleeveless surcoat of dark brown velvet that was split down the front, back and sides. Bands of gold embroidery at the neck, armholes, splits and the bottom hem decorated the surcoat, which was worn over a shirt of a deep wine silk with an embroidered high collar and black trousers that were tucked into his boots. His wand was in a sheath hung from his elaborately tooled leather belt. A long cloak of green velvet lined in more of the deep wine silk was edged in gold cord and clasped with a round gold brooch set with onyx.
Much to the surprise of the priestess, but not Ironheart, Nicolai stepped off the deep purple carpet when they had nearly reached the altar, and headed towards someone in the crowd. Ginny recognised Mayumi in full dress regalia. Her formal wear, like much of Japanese wizarding dress, was recognisable as Japanese in style, but also diverged a bit from traditional Muggle designs Ginny had seen. The many layers of wide-sleeved kimono were in various shades of yellow and gold, and the folds of each layer were pulled back just enough to see the next layer peeking out from behind. The outermost robe that trailed along the floor was of a heavy silk brocade in a rich yellow, embroidered with swirls of gold that seemed to shift independently of the angle of the light. Her long black hair was pulled back from her face and rolled underneath itself in a look reminiscent of the bow at the back of the elaborate obi that belted her kimono.
Nicolai greeted both Gavin and Mayumi warmly and familiarly before continuing towards the altar, leaving their immediate neighbours looking at them curiously, probably wondering about their station.
Finally, Nicolai, Ironheart and the priestess stopped in front of a raised platform, which held an altar that seemed to have been carved out of a huge block of marble. It was surmounted by a majestic bronze canopy that was supported by four gigantic twisted some sixty feet high, each of covered with gilded bas-relief figures. The old lady appeared to say some prayers before ascending the steps of the platform, followed by Nicolai and Ironheart. She took her place behind the altar, while Nicolai and his grandfather remained on the right-hand side in front of it, now facing towards the main entrance.
Almost as if on cue, which it probably was, Gudrun and Elena Ironheart appeared at the main entrance and began their long walk towards the altar. Elena's garb was as elegant as Gudrun's. She wore a set of matching trousers and a fitted knee-length and long-sleeved tunic in a very dark burgundy silk, with soft half-boots in leather dyed to match. Over that was a floor-length sleeveless open robe of sheer grey silk, delicately embroidered in a pattern of grey and gold. Her hair was swept up and held in place by a pair of small gold and silver combs.
When they reached and ascended the altar, Elena stood with her father and son, while Gudrun stood alone on the left side of the altar, though Ginny was sure that she would soon be joined by Matt and Mary, who would probably appear at the temple's entrance any moment now.
Her suspicions were confirmed as music swept through the temple. It wasn't organ music or violin music, like so many wizards and Muggles used back home. This music came from dozens of flutes being played across the temple, each contributing their part to a truly enchanting symphony. A sudden gasp from the crowd that momentarily drowned out the music prompted Ginny to look back at the main entrance, where Matt and Mary had appeared.
Ginny knew that Nicolai's cousin Regina had spent a substantial amount of time in Shamballah, learning about the diverse fashions of the many humanoid races. Matt's outfit was a design she had learned from the tailors of the small Light Elf community. He wore a simple layered robe of white silk brocade with slim long sleeves and a high collar, belted with a sash of grey silk. An ornament of twisted silver wire curled around the neck, and a similar piece decorated the sash. Over this was an open robe of grey silk with wide sleeves slit back to reveal the sleeves of the robe underneath.
Mary held his left arm. A long cloak of creamy white silk hung loosely from her shoulders down to the floor and trailed out behind her, and was pulled back just enough to show off her floor-length gown. Made of snowy white silk, it was a simple sheath design that showed off her perfect figure. A ruff of sheer silk embroidered and carefully wired so that it would fan out around her head and neck was tucked into the gown's low-cut scoop neckline. The front of the gown was accented by a panel of silk that hung from the bottom of the neckline to the knees, and was decorated with a scrolling floral design worked in silvery-gold embroidery and set with tiny blue diamonds. Her hair was pulled back from her face and arranged in an intricate knot that fanned out from the back of her head like a stylized rose. A diadem of three strands of white gold chain held a triangle of white gold wire mesh against her forehead; the mesh was set with more of the tiny blue diamonds, and three blue pearl drops hung from the bottom point and sides of the triangle. White silk pumps and a pair of fingerless gloves that rose halfway up her upper arms completed the ensemble.
In his right hand Matt held the Archidiaconus sceptre, which seemed to be the cause of many murmurs and pointing in the temple.
"Nicolai told me about the sceptre last night. He found out about it in some ancient scrolls. It was made in the Mirror Realm. It's the heirloom of the old Princely House of Astirian. By ancient law, Matt is the rightful heir to the Principality of Astirian. Astirian's nobles lost executive power ages ago, not long after the imperial selection process failed to pick an imperial heir, because the nobles of the fiefs derived their rights to rule the imperial family. The person styling herself as the current duchess is someone from one of those noble families who wanted to regain that power." Hermione whispered this all in one go, before taking a deep breath. "Anyway, this means that Mary's a princess in her own right, just like she would have been back home, had the Muggles known about the real Stone of Destiny. Nicolai told me that some of the staunch traditionalists were having trouble with Mary's lack of noble bloodline here in the Mirror Realm, but seeing that sceptre will surely shut them up. Not that it would have mattered to him if she had been a commoner."
"Oh, Mary looks so pretty!" Ginny heard Rosie say.
"Look at her … all grown up," Njall said in a strangled voice. Ginny saw that he was having trouble keeping his emotions in check, and shifting her gaze to the altar, she saw that Gudrun had conjured a handkerchief from somewhere and was furiously dabbing at her eyes. Nicolai seemed enraptured by the sight of his wife to be, and Ironheart was beaming, proud that his grandson was marrying that vision of beauty.
Accompanied by the melodic whistling of the flutes, Matt and Mary edged ever closer to the altar until they finally reached it. Before surrendering his place to Nicolai, Matt handed the sceptre to Mary. Then he stepped aside, allowing Nicolai to take Mary's arm. Mary quickly leaned over and kissed her father on the cheek before he could join her mother on the altar's left side. He managed a trembling smile before striding to his wife's side and accepting the handkerchief she held out to him.
For the visiting friends and relatives' benefit, Nicolai had created earpieces that offered instant translation to any language heard. It allowed Ginny and the others to follow the proceedings and understand what was being said. It was much like weddings back home, with the priestess stressing the importance of the ceremony. Only she did not limit it to Nicolai and Mary themselves, but dragged the fate of the entire realm into the mix, which made Mary look decidedly queasy. Then Ironheart, Elena, Matt, and Gudrun each had to perform short rituals with one of the elements, much like her sisters-in-law had done at her wedding. They also had to light four candles on a four-pronged candlestick, the number four being the number of completion, stability and predictability, as well as the representation of all earthly things. After performing these tasks, they were dismissed from the high altar and moved to rejoin their respective balconies.
The priestess paused the proceedings for a moment to allow the parental figures to reach their seats in the balconies. Soon, Ginny heard Matt and Gudrun's footsteps echoing up the stairs. Ginny saw Njall turn towards the stairs, and she did the same, eager to find out what Gudrun's reaction would be. Moments later, Gudrun and Matt appeared in the entryway, and Gudrun's eyes went wide as her gaze fell upon her father.
"Surprise," he said awkwardly.
Gudrun's face contorted in every manner as the shock of seeing what she believed to be her Muggle father in Shamballah.
"I didn't tell your mother until about a month ago, but I'm a Squib," Njall said, and Ginny saw that the movements of his mouth no longer coincided with the words she was hearing. Nicolai's invention apparently wasn't limited by Etti to English translating. "And the real reason I've never really been a part of your life was because constant travelling was a way to facilitate my self-denial. There is something else I've told your mother only a month ago."
Gudrun's shock had slowly abated as her father spoke, and a small smile had appeared on her face. "You're gay, aren't you?"
A look of surprise came over Njall's face. "How did you know? You mother never saw it coming."
"Mum's never been to your apartment. You had all these muscle magazines and male underwear catalogues lying around, but you never worked out or ordered any of the underwear. Your collection of Cher albums also made me suspicious, but only in hindsight. I was too young to put two and two together at the time."
"I'm glad you're taking this so well. I was afraid that Nicolai and your husband had misjudged what your reaction would be."
Gudrun turned to her husband. "You know about this?"
Matt nodded. "Yep, and I found out who your paternal grandparents are and looked them up on the tapestry. We're kissing cousins, sugarplum."
"You have got to be kidding!" Gudrun groaned.
"Don't worry, I am. Given the pure-blood ancestry on your dad's side it was impossible for us not to be related, but our most recent common ancestor died two hundred and fifty years ago."
Gudrun seemed relieved at this, and turned back to her father. "It's all right, Dad. I'm pleasantly surprised to see you here." Then she led Matt to the front of the bench, and all the children scooted over to the far side to make room for them.
"I've seen the pictures and heard the stories from Verna, but your husband looks even better in person," Njall said, eyeing Matt appreciatively as he drew his robes tautly around himself before sitting, marking his behind clearly.
Matt winked. "It's my electrifying personality. You ought to see me in something that really shows off my body."
Gudrun slapped her husband's arm playfully. "Honestly, it's bad enough that you flirt with my mother whenever you think my back is turned. Don't flirt with my father too! Now pay attention to the ceremony."
"Yes dear."
"They're just kidding, Robert. Daddy doesn't really flirt with grandma," Rachel said, patting Robert's arm reassuringly. The horrified look the boy was giving his future in-laws was priceless.
Ginny suppressed a giggle. Harry and Ron weren't prejudiced, but they'd still be uneasy next to someone like Gudrun's father. In fact, neither of them had ever exposed their behind to Captain Sharif if they could help it. Matt on the other hand, was 'at ease with his sexuality,' as Hermione had called his relaxed attitude. He didn't fancy blokes, but unlike Harry and Ron, he wouldn't have too much trouble kissing another man on a dare or something without retching.
"Oopsie … light," Sissi said suddenly. She had awoken again and was pointing at her second most favourite playmate. "Mummy…Oopsie … light!"
Heidi lifted Sissi off Henry's lap and placed her in her own. "What light, sweetheart?" she asked, though her lip movements told Ginny that she was speaking German.
Sissi fell silent, yawned and went back to sleep in her mother's arms, allowing Heidi to turn her attention back to the ceremony.
Before the ceremony could continue, the priestess actually had to clear her throat rather loudly to regain the attention of the young couple, who had been far too absorbed with gazing into each other's eyes. Mary and Nicolai sheepishly returned their attention to the priestess as good-natured laughter echoed through the temple. Then the priestess rang a silvery bell, which was the cue for Aberforth and Louise to do their part for the ceremony. About thirty seconds later—which was much longer than planned and had sparked a momentary concern in Ginny that the geriatric couple forgot about their cue—Aberforth and Louise appeared.
Louise carried a pair of wedding bands on a plush, silvery-velvet covered pillow with gold tassels at the corners, while Aberforth carried the same jewel-encrusted goblet Matt and Gudrun had used for the continuation ritual of the Consanguinity Charm, which reminded Ginny that Nicolai and Mary had yet to undergo the ritual. They hadn't been sure about conducting the ritual, since little Oprah was fourth in line to the vault—after her mother and two uncles but before her two aunts—and would probably shift even father down the line, provided that Xander and Nathan had children or if at least one of Mary's future children would be a boy. But Matt had expressed his desire to let the charm cover at least two whole generations after him. It was meant to be a backup plan in case a great misfortune befell the family in the future, similar to when a Malfoy had all of the Archidiaconus save Matt's mother killed to advance his own prospects of inheriting Caer Sidi and the vault.
"Now, before exchanging vows and rings, His Imperial Majesty Nicolai and Her Highness Maria will perform a ritual, which grants Her Imperial Highness Oprah and any future offspring the passage to the House of Astirian's greatest treasures," the priestess said, explaining Aberforth and Louise's appearance to the largely bemused locals who hadn't expected any ceremonial proceedings that included the goblet. This brought murmurs among the crowd, and many of them looked up at the bride's balcony inquisitively. "His Imperial Majesty and Her Highness will now both hold the Sceptre of Astirian, which will draw a drop of blood from each and the drops of blood will join inside the sceptre and drip into the goblet as one."
Smiling, Nicolai and Mary grabbed the sceptre, both holding on to it at the same spot just below the large red diamond, he in his right hand and she in her left, interlacing their fingers. Aberforth lay his right hand on the diamond and held the chalice beneath the sceptre with his left. He muttered an incantation in Draconian—which Nicolai's invention didn't translate, for some reason—and the huge diamond began to glow like a small red sun, reflecting on Mary's blue-diamond-set diadem and giving the small diamonds a purplish glow for a few moments. Then the light died away, and there was a clicking sound. Both Mary and Nicolai's faces remained neutral as the sceptre stung them and drew a bit of their blood into itself. Gemstones along the sceptre's shaft shimmered in turn as the drop of blood travelled along a channel on its inside. Then a droplet formed at the bottom, which quickly fell into the goblet. The potion's reaction to the final ingredient came in a whooshing sound and an amber puff of smoke.
Aberforth took the sceptre over from Nicolai and Mary, and handed the chalice to Nicolai, who brought it to Mary's lips and allowed her to take a sip. Then Nicolai passed the goblet to Mary, and she held it while he took his mouthful. After Nicolai had swallowed, Aberforth took the goblet back from Mary.
"The continuation ritual of the Consanguinity Charm is complete," he said, and as the words left his mouth, little Oprah began to glow in a warm amber light.
"Oopsie light? That's what Sissi said, wasn't it?" Hermione whispered excitedly, nodding at Oprah, who was swinging her feet back and forth impatiently. "Oh my, she can see things before they happen, Heidi!"
"Can't say I'm surprised," Jasmine said with a huge grin on her face. "The current living Diamond Seer, Great-grandma Stella, is Sissi's great-great-grandmother. Couple that to the fact that many of Heidi's relatives have an active inner eye, and that Heidi's great-great-great-grandmother was also a Diamond Seer, the odds that the gift would manifest itself in Sissi were pretty big. She'll have to go to Ogygia, because when I did research on Seers for Anastasiou once, I learned that only Emerald Seers or better manifest their powers this early. With her pedigree I wouldn't be surprised if she's a Diamond Seer. It would restore the number back to two."
"This isn't the first time, though I didn't realise its significance until now. Two weeks ago she said 'Henry booboo'. I thought she was just babbling, since he was playing in the courtyard and nothing was wrong. But an hour after that he came in with a skinned knee." Heidi glanced at the altar. "Well talk later, they're about to exchange vows!"
Ginny turned her attention back to the altar, where Nicolai and Mary were clasping hands and gazing into each other's eyes again. Aberforth and Louise were still there, with Aberforth holding the goblet and the sceptre and Louise holding the rings on the pillow.
Nicolai took a deep breath before he began to speak. "Mary, I look at you and I see my best friend. When we met, you were the only kid at school ready to accept me even though I was different. You have no idea how happy this made me, for ever since I was four and became aware of just how different I was, I became afraid that I would never find someone who could accept what I have become. But you accepted me, and in your presence I stopped fearing to be myself, and the departure of that fear made me do the many things that contributed to us being here, today. Your passion, energy, and inner beauty inspired me in ways none of my many minds ever imagined. You gave me purpose when I felt I had none. Without you, my soul would be as empty as my mind is full, my heart broken, my being incomplete. I thank the Maker everyday that you were brought into my life, and I thank you for loving me."
Just like on her own wedding day, Ginny had to swallow away a lump in her throat that had formed upon her hearing Nicolai's words. With burning eyes she watched Louise bring the pillow a little closer to make it easier for Nicolai to pick up Mary's ring and place it in her hand.
"Oh, Nicolai…" Mary used her other hand to wipe away her tears. "When was it that I fell in love with you? When we were ten and eleven, or maybe eight and nine? I don't remember, because I've long lost the ability to picture the few weeks after we met when I hadn't been in love with you." A few sniffs briefly interrupted her speech, but she was soon ready to continue. "And when I was a little girl, my grandma used to read me fairytales. Like many other little girls, those fairytales left me with dreams about marrying a prince. You made a miracle happen and made my dreams come true. I may not be a miracle worker like you, but I will pour my heart and soul into making your dreams come true. I love you, Nicolai."
Mary took her band off the pillow and placed it in Nicolai's hand, and their roles in the ceremony now over with, Aberforth bowed and Louise girlishly curtsied before they retreated to whatever antechamber they had come from. It was time for the exchange.
"The wedding ring is the outward and visible symbol of an inward spiritual bond which unites two hearts in love. In their brief lives, His Imperial Majesty and Her Highness have proven to be more than worthy to bear these symbols, in their devotion to one another," the priestess said pleasantly. "That is rare indeed in this day and age, but I believe it bodes well for Shamballah. Your Imperial Majesty, if you please…"
With a sure and steady hand, Nicolai slid Mary's ring on her finger without taking his eyes off hers. "With this ring I thee wed, Maria."
Mary's hand wasn't quite as steady as his, but she managed not drop the ring before sliding it on his finger, and when the task was accomplished she visibly relaxed. "With this ring I thee wed, Nicolai."
"Then you are now, husband and wife." The priestess smiled warmly. "I believe it is customary to kiss the bride, in the realm of your birth."
Mary pulled Nicolai to her by the collar of his tunic and covered his mouth with hers, making Ginny have a flashback of the aftermath of Matt and Gudrun's continuation ritual. It was truly amazing how similar mother and daughter were in that regard.
Matt rose from the bench and began to applaud loudly, and soon everyone in the temple rose and followed his lead. Mary and Nicolai, still locked in their kiss, seemed oblivious to it all. She almost missed the muffled groan that came from Charlie Junior.
x
Hermione listened to the beautiful voice of Perse Angelou, who had learned the local language, along with a few local songs in to sing at the wedding. Hermione wasn't wearing Nicolai's translator, so she couldn't understand the lyrics. But that didn't detract from the song's beauty, and the melody coupled with Perse's voice still tugged at Hermione's heartstrings.
She was sorry that Ron had missed the wedding, but she was even sorrier that he wasn't at the reception. Ginny and Heidi had been whisked away by Galatea's younger brothers Jason and Tiresias respectively, leaving Hermione sitting by herself while everyone she knew was dancing. Well … nearly everyone.
The children sat at an adjacent table, playing under Rosie's watchful eye, since Rachel had dragged Robert off to dance. Henry was alternately looking at the crowd and his sketch-pad as he furiously tried to capture the scene on paper. The Kelly brothers and Westley were busy detonating harmless wet-start fireworks, and Buttercup, Oopsie and Sissi were playing with an assortment of dolls Heidi had brought along. Very suitably, the dolls had been attired in wedding gowns, and Heidi had made sure there were several miniature dresses and accessories. The dolls were striding back and forth on the table, modelling the ever-changing accessories the girls made them wear. Even though she had outgrown dolls at a very early age, Hermione still found herself wishing that she'd had a magical set, since having your own fashion show looked like fun. Sissi and Oopsie were having a ball despite the fact that Buttercup would not let them touch the dolls or the dresses for fear that the younger girls would dirty or rip them.
Then her gaze fell on Charlie Junior, who sat a bit further away, slumped in his chair and sulking. The poor boy was heartbroken. Everyone on the balcony had heard his muffled groan as Nicolai and Mary sealed their marriage with a kiss. Hermione's heart went out to him, though she did find his infatuation with Mary a bit extreme. Granted, her beauty rivalled that of part-Veela women, and it had started out as a pre-teen crush.
Deciding that Charlie could use some distraction, she rose from her seat and made her way over to him. "Come on, Charlie, dance with me."
"I don't—" he began to say, but Hermione put her hours of mandatory exercise to use and yanked him to his feet before dragging him on to the dance-floor. He seemed to have no idea what to do, so she placed his right hand on her hip and took his left hand in her right one while she placed her left hand on his shoulder. "Come on, we can dance the waltz to this. I'll lead. You just make sure that you don't trample my feet with yours."
"That's all right, I've had some lessons. I can lead," he answered listlessly.
"Is it that embarrassing to be seen dancing with an old auntie?" Hermione probed teasingly. "Really, you're hurting my feelings."
Charlie lowered his gaze to meet hers. At only fourteen and a half, he was already as tall as his father was. He would probably grow to be as tall as Ron or Max, with Max's powerful build.
"Sorry. I have a lot on my mind."
"Would you like to talk about it?"
"You already know," he said morosely.
Hermione felt her cheeks warm up. She had forgot that Charlie was also a Mind Reader. "But surely you must have known, deep down, that you didn't have a chance with her," she said gently.
"That's just it, Aunt Hermione. I thought she and I were meant to be. When I was eleven, great-great-grandma Stella told me that I'd marry a beautiful long-legged blonde named Maria, who would be a few years older than I."
Suddenly it all made sense. "But don't you think she only told you what you wanted to hear? I mean, aren't beautiful long-legged blondes what most boys dream about?"
"I'm sure she didn't make it up. I was reading her mind," Charlie said, his reddening face telling Hermione that he'd probably broken a restriction by doing that.
"Well, what if there's another beautiful long-legged blonde named Maria out there?"
Charlie looked at her quizzically, and before he could answer her, the music stopped.
"Greetings, everyone, and welcome to His and Her Imperial Majesties' wedding ball," Perse said through a microphone-like device. Then she repeated the same sentence in Etti, adding a lengthy story to it, telling Hermione that she must have had some magical help in learning the language. Then Perse switched back to English. "The next song is loosely translated as 'Dancing with a Stranger,' which is what I want you to do. Please, don't leave the dance floor, but switch partners with the couple closest to you! Don't introduce yourself until after the dance."
Hermione and Charlie had been dancing at the edge of the field, so it was easy for them to determine the closest couple. It was a pair of guests from the Earth Realm. Hermione was fairly certain that it was Nicolai's Russian uncle whom Jasmine had mentioned earlier, and the girl was probably his daughter. They were both clad in local clothing, with the father wearing an outfit very similar to Ironheart's, and the daughter wearing a simple, formfitting green dress with flaring butterfly sleeves that was favoured by the Light Elf maidens she had seen. A thin golden belt that almost looked like a chain divided her upper body from her lower body and made the dress even more aesthetically pleasing.
"Well, it looks like we'll have to switch," Hermione said to Charlie, before stepping over to the father, whose hair and beard reminded her of Hagrid's a bit, though not nearly as long and wild. The hair was sleek and shiny, which meant that he washed and brushed the beard frequently. He bowed and extended his left hand, and Hermione took it with her right, though she didn't move into position yet. Instead she glanced back at Charlie, whose eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets. The blonde daughter was nearly as tall as Mary—who at was very tall for a woman at six-foot-one—though she was much more slender. The slits that came up to mid-thigh on either side of her dress showed her to be very long-legged, and Hermione estimated her age at between seventeen and eighteen.
A furiously blushing Charlie finally remembered to bow and extend his hand, and the young woman took it while letting out a nervous giggle. Her own cheeks had a pink tinge on them.
Hermione turned back to the father as she heard the band tuning up to play the next song, and she lay her left hand on the father's shoulder. A second later, the music started and once again it was a tune which one could waltz to. Hermione fell into the rhythm after an initial misstep, and by the man's counting under his breath and the occasional downward glances, she could tell that he didn't dance very often. He wasn't so bad as to leave her fearing for her toes, so she opted to take some pressure off him and help him loosen up.
"Don't worry about your feet, sir. You're doing all right."
"Thank you," the man replied in a pleasant bass voice.
"I know we can't introduce ourselves until after the dance, but nothing stops me from asking your daughter's name. She is your daughter, isn't she? It's a bit hard to tell with your beard," she added jokingly.
The man laughed. "Da, she is my daughter and her name is Maria."
Hermione couldn't have wiped the enormous grin off her face to save her life, and her facial muscles were aching by the time the song ended. She extended her hand. "Now I can introduce myself. Hermione Weasley, formerly Granger."
He shook it. "I am Evgeny Sharapov. I haff heard a lot about you, and your husband. And of course, Harry Potter. They are not here?"
Hermione shook her head. "Something came up back at home …but it seems to have been resolved already," she added, because she saw Harry emerging through the crowd. She thought he should have taken the time to change, since the strange outfit he was wearing was hardly fit for a royal ball. In fact, she had no idea where he had got it.
"May I have the next dance?"
"Maybe you ought to dance with Ginny first, and Harry, meet Evgeny Sharapov." Hermione gestured to her former dance partner.
"Nicolai's uncle?"
"Da."
"Thoughtful of him to invite you. I'd like to stay and continue this conversation, but I have to make some excuses for Hermione's husband not having returned," Harry said, smirking.
"He is a fool to leave his lovely wife alone," Sharapov said.
"It really isn't his fault," Harry replied. "Anyway, it was a pleasure meeting you."
Sharapov nodded and bowed slightly, before retreating back into the crowd.
"So where is Ron?" Hermione asked, feeling more and more peeved that Harry had made it back but Ron hadn't. "And where did you get this outfit?"
"I have no idea where Ron is," Harry said, as he led Hermione off the dance floor. "I don't know where Harry is either, but I thought I'd choose his form to contact you after I felt him leave the Mirror Realm. As for this outfit, it was modelled after the one Gudrun made me, three years ago. So, how have things been, little sister?"
Hermione's heart stopped beating. "Good Lord, Max?" she hissed.
The Harry look-alike turned to face her, and the emerald-green eyes briefly transformed to dark-brown, before going back to emerald-green. "The one and only. Don't worry, I'm not here as a herald of doom this time. I already took care of the would-be doom bringers. They're cooling off now … except for the Pinaka lizard-men," Max added laconically. "After they die, there's a weird chemical reaction in their bodies that actually heats them up. Their corpses are probably bloating with heat already."
"You've been fighting? You've killed people? What happened?" Hermione fired a question after question, hoping to find out what was going on.
"Get Nicolai and my grandfather to meet me up on Imperial Tower's observation deck, and I'll tell you all about it."
x
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Disclaimer: Yep, the whole part about the trolls and the pink and orange kerchiefs was adapted from Babylon 5.
StarWest45: Did you know that Claudia Christian really broke her legwhen she fell in that episode? I guess that's why the agonised scream was so convincing.
Gogirl: No, actually the part about the stolen boxers was inspired by a shampoo commercial that is being aired on T.V. around here. As for Sissi and Danny's situation, well, you'll see … Thirdly, I said that all hell would break loose after Chapter 21. So that's Chapter 22 and the ones following it.
Viva: I know. As time passes I realise that juggling this many characters really clogs up the story. Had I been working with fewer characters, this fic would already have been finished. Instead I find myself looking for loose ends that need tying up. And yes, Robert's just as strong as pre-Phoenix Wolfe.
lluvatar: Ever the faithful reviewer. Do you use that one-worder with every story you read?
roastpuff: Glad you enjoyed that.
Jake: :-)
hootild: I'm glad that you think I'm developing the children right. Next time though, I'll be less ambitious with the sheer number of characters. As I said earlier, juggling so many characters is becoming a pain.
Foxfur: Yeah, Franklin. Good old Richard Biggs, may he rest in peace. Good call on Gudrun's dress. It is Princess Leia's ceremonial costume from A New Hope, and yes, Leia's was white. I liked that costume—Carrie Fisher looked so regal in it. Of course, I like the slave girl costume of Return of the Jedi even better, but I'm a straight guy so it figures. ;-)
RinnaMarie: I haven't written anything down yet, but it's a fantasy setting similar to 'Neverwhere' by Neil Gaiman. The protagonist would be a person who fell 'through the cracks of society' and landed in a magical world where almost anything is possible. At first I felt bad for touching so closely to someone else's idea, but that feeling went away when I read The Sword of Shannara and saw what Terry Brooks got away with. It was almost like reading the Lord of the Rings. Of course, Brooks admitted in the Foreword that LoTR was a major inspiration, so no one can accuse him of claiming that it was his own idea. Still, George Lucas tried to sue people over less similarity, so I was sort of surprised by how much leeway a writer can have.
Elric Magus: In retrospect I should have left the song references out, but I guess they were pretty funny.
Lipton: Thanks, I think.
Athena McGonagall: Barry Manilow's Copacabana. "Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken" is also a line from What's Love Got To Do With It. Maybe Have you no heart is a song too, but I don't know it, so that wasn't really a song reference. :-) Like Freud said, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
Alchemilla: Foetal is archaic, but not incorrect. If I wrote feotal it was a typo.
justn: Good question, and I was about to smugly quote to you the passage in Chapter 18 that was supposed to have the answer, when I found that it wasn't there. eep I'm pretty sure I wrote it, but I re-wrote Chapter 18 so many times that I must have erased it and forgotten to put it back. I'll remember to slip the answer into a future chapter. If only J.K. Rowling's editor had your eagle eyes. If would have prevented a lot of canon inconsistencies. Thanks! :-)
Fragarach: Sorry this update was a bit later than usual.
Saint Mike: Someone actually learnt something from my fic. I'm flattered.