A/N: Many thanks to everyone who has reviewed the story so far. And thanks to Jocelyn, who proofreads my stories and keeps me from running mad with commas!
Chapter 7Hermione stared at herself in the mirror, then shook her head in disgust. Even with judicious application of Hair-Restorer Potion, she still had nothing that even remotely resembled normal hair. Oh, it had grown back in, but at different lengths, and looking dry and frizzy.
She had been released from the Hospital Wing the previous evening, leaving with a number of dire threats pronounced upon her by Madam Pomfrey, should she ever get herself in such a predicament again. Her burns were completely healed, leaving no evidence behind, thanks to the quickness of the Order members who got her out, and the effectiveness of Snape's burn salve. Hermione was all too aware of how lucky she was to have survived. Still, she couldn't help but wish that her hair had come through the ordeal a little better. With a sigh, she tied a silk scarf around her head and turned to leave, only to hear the mirror give an audible snicker as she went.
It was early morning and many in the castle were still asleep. Making her way towards the dungeons, Hermione murmured a soft "Good Morning" as she passed the Grey Lady in the hallway. Further along, she chanced upon Sir Nicholas.
"Miss Granger, I say, you're looking much improved."
"Thank you, Sir Nicholas. I do feel better."
He performed a courtly bow. "I trust you will have a pleasant day, now that you are out and about again."
Hermione smiled up at him. "Yes, I intend to. Good day." The ghost drifted off, and she hurried down a nearby staircase that would provide her access to the area of Snape's laboratory.
The early morning light that had begun to filter into the castle had not made it's way into the dungeons, and the hallway was dark and cold. Hermione quickly spoke the words that would admit her to the lab, and shivered in spite of the heavy sweater that she wore under her robes. Once inside, she lit all the candles and started a fire in the hearth to take the chill off the room. Later, it would become too warm, but for now, it made the room a comfortable temperature in which to work.
Today, she intended to make the Wolfsbane Potion. The ingredients requested from the Hogsmeade Apothecary had been delivered while she was in the Hospital Wing. The package itself sat on a nearby table, and she opened it carefully, taking inventory of the contents as she did so. If all went well, as she hoped it would, this first batch of the Potion would be acceptable, and she could deliver it to Remus. If not, she now had supplies enough to make a second batch and rectify any previous errors.
Time was growing short. Bill and Fleur's wedding was in three days, and the full moon would be the night after the wedding. Remus would need a supply to take with him, so that he would have the required doses ahead of time, and still be able to take the last dose when he returned to Hogwarts. Hermione felt a twinge of anxiety, but refused to consider that she might fail at making the complicated Potion.
Laid out carefully on a counter was a supply of Echinacea flowers, delivered as promised by Neville. She smiled as she gathered them up, and prepared to shred the petals and leaves. Setting her cauldron over a low flame, she poured in a cup of water and added a dollop of honey. Allowing the mixture to simmer, she deftly sliced and diced a variety of ingredients into neat piles. Referring constantly to the recipe for the Potion, she checked and double-checked herself as she added them to the mixture. Raising it to a boil, she began stirring it with the required glass spoon, muttering under her breath as she did so. "Clockwise, one-two-three-four...hold for six seconds...anti-clockwise, one-two...hold for three seconds...repeat four times." She let out a sigh of relief as it began to steam and turn a putrid shade of yellow. It smelled right, and it looked right. Reducing the flames underneath the cauldron to restore it to a simmer, she set a timer for thirty minutes and stepped back to admire her work.
"An acceptable performance, Miss Granger."
Hermione spun around. Snape was leaning against the wall, his arms folded, smirking, having obviously watched her through the Potions process. Annoyed, she folded her arms in an unconscious imitation of him.
"Do you enjoy frightening me every time we meet?"
He raised an eyebrow. "That is not my primary intention, but it is a gratifying response." He walked over to join her at the counter, checking the cauldron carefully. "It appears you have successfully prepared the Wolfsbane Potion. Certainly a very advanced formula, but I expected no less from you."
Hermione stared. A compliment? From him? "Th-thank you," she stammered.
"Do not thank me. I am merely stating a fact. You are intelligent and capable, Miss Granger." His eyes flashed, angrily. "So enlighten me as to why you didn't have the sense to leave when Potter decided to destroy the Horcrux himself. You knew the risks!"
"I couldn't leave Harry. He..."
"Potter," he spat the name out, "will rush blindly into death itself without once considering the danger to those he takes with him! And Weasley will blunder in right behind him. But you should have the common sense to get out of the way of Potter's stupidity!"
"You're wrong!" she snapped. "It's the fact that he cares so much about his friends that drives him to take the risks he does. And I will be with him, and support him...no matter what!"
"What a loyal little Gryffindor you are," he sneered. "Next time, you may not be so lucky to escape with only a few burns."
"I'll take my chances!" she retorted.
They glared at each other, and only the chiming of the cauldron timer interrupted them. Snape muttered an oath under his breath, and whirled back to the counter, continuing the preparation of the Potion. Hermione watched him work, admiring the unerring way he went about it, his movements all efficiency. She might be competent – he was an artist. The time required for him to finish and remove the cauldron from the fire, setting it aside to cool, allowed her to regain her composure. It appeared to have done the same for him, for when he turned back to her, his face was calm again.
He spoke quietly but intensely. "You are too important to the Order to be wasted on one of Potter's schemes."
She chose not to address his slight to Harry. Instead she replied, "The burns didn't even scar. I'm very glad the burn salve was available. Madam Pomfrey told me it was your creation." She pulled up the sleeve of her sweater, and held out her arm, so that he could see the unmarked skin. To her surprise, he stepped over to her, took her wrist with one hand, and ran the fingers of his other hand over the unblemished skin of her arm.
"It's healed well," he said. His fingers were cool and dry, and meeting his eyes, she suddenly felt rather breathless.
He dropped her arm. "Attend to bottling the Potion, Miss Granger."
Hermione stepped over to the counter and silently poured the mixture into the prepared bottles. She didn't turn around, but knew that when she did, he would be gone.
The next day, a contingent left from Hogwarts to take up residence in the Burrow in preparation for the wedding. Along with Harry and Hermione were Neville and Luna. Knowing they were at Hogwarts, and as friends of the younger Weasleys, Molly had made sure that they were invited to come. The group piled their belongings into the bedrooms they'd been assigned, and then joined in with the rest of the family to clean, cook, and perform a number of tasks. Ginny was going to have her hair done, along with Fleur and her sister Gabrielle. She persuaded Hermione to accompany them.
The appointments had been made at the exclusive salon of Madam Zuliovska, the premiere hairdresser in wizarding London. It was going to be costly, but Fleur had insisted on the best, and her doting parents had obliged her.
Ginny snorted. "Of course, she has to have only the best." Although Ginny had warmed somewhat to the marriage of her brother, she still didn't care for Fleur and was having a hard time concealing it.
"Maybe," Hermione said softly, "she wants to be the best for Bill."
Ginny nodded. "I really think she does love him, and I'm glad for his sake that she stood by him after he was injured." She grimaced. "But she still drives me mad most of the time."
Hermione laughed, and the girls followed Fleur and Gabrielle into the salon. Madam Zuliovska was not at all what she had expected. She'd thought the woman would appear foreign and exotic and have a heavy accent. Instead, she was tall, thin, and spoke perfect English, sounding like any other British pureblood. She greeted Fleur's mother, and then turned to the girls, looking at them appraisingly. Apparently, both Fleur and Gabrielle easily passed muster. She took a little bit longer in her evaluation of Ginny's hair, but finally nodded. Ginny let her breath out in a sigh. Then, to Hermione's consternation, Madam Zuliovska turned to her and visibly recoiled.
"This is horrendous. How could you let your hair become so...so..." she flailed her hands in the air, unable to come up with a description.
"She ees not a membare of zee wedding partee," Mrs. Delacour assured the horrified woman. "She eez just a friend of zee groom's familee."
Fleur hastened to add her assurances. "She eez of no importance."
Madam Zuliovska continued to stare at her. "But what have you done to your hair?"
Hermione flushed. "I was in a fire. My hair was burned, and this is how it grew back in."
Ginny had been standing in the background, and now stepped forward with a look on her face that told Hermione she was up to something. "She's not a member of the wedding party," she agreed, "just a close friend of my family. No doubt she will appear in many of the wedding pictures."
This time it was Fleur and her mother who blanched. "Non!" exclaimed Fleur. "Eet would ruin zee photographs! Maman!" she wailed.
Mrs. Delacour did not hesitate. "We must do sometheeng. Madame, could one of zee othair ladies attend to her 'air?"
Hermione objected. "Madame Delacour, I don't think I can afford this salon."
She looked at Hermione. "Mais bien sur, but of course you could not afford eet. I shall have eet added to zee othairs. I will not have zee photographs ruined."
Ginny giggled behind her, as Madam Zuliovska imperiously summoned another beautician and instructed her to take Hermione in tow.
The process ended up taking most of the afternoon. When they were all finished, Hermione couldn't help but think that Fleur truly was as beautiful as a goddess. Surely, Bill wouldn't be able to take his eyes off her. Both Ginny and Gabrielle had their hair up with a few soft ringlets hanging down their backs and pearls strewn throughout the style. The proper spells had been applied so that the hair would remain perfect for the duration of the wedding.
Ginny was admiring herself in a long mirror when Hermione came up to her. She turned, and her eyes went wide. "Wow! They did a great job on you!"
Hermione's hair was pulled up in a knot of French braids, with smaller braids looped underneath. Flowers had been added, in a soft shade of blue that would match her gown for the wedding. Looking at herself in the mirror, she decided that it looked very good indeed.
The group was gathered up by Mrs. Delacour, and they hurried to return to the Burrow, where the groom's family was holding a dinner that night. The girls went to Ginny's room, where they were joined by Luna, and they proceeded to dress for dinner.
The number of people crammed into the Burrow for the occasion and the noise level made conversation difficult. Many of them spent the evening outside, as the weather was cool and comfortable. Hermione drifted from one group to another, and the time passed pleasantly. At one point, she noticed that Harry seemed to have forgotten that he had made the decision to keep away from Ginny, and the two seemed inseparable. Wandering around the yard, Hermione decided to look for Ron. It took quite awhile to find him, and it was finally his laughter that led her to him. She found him sitting beneath a tree with Luna, and he was obviously enjoying whatever it was she was telling him.
Hermione decided not to interrupt and made her way back to the house. It occurred to her that Ron seldom laughed when they were together. Maybe he needed someone less serious – someone like Luna.
The next evening, the members of the wedding and the guests gathered in the grounds of Circe Castle. The ancient estate had been willed to the Ministry and the beautiful gardens were a favorite spot for wizard weddings. The immense back lawn of the estate had a large wedding circle inscribed in it, and everyone crowded to the edges without entering the circle itself. Unsure of what was to happen, having never attended such a wedding before, Harry and Hermione stayed with Neville and Luna, and Hermione asked them to explain the ceremony as it progressed.
A lone wizard stood in the center of the circle. An elderly man in a flowing golden robe, covered with symbols and letters, he held a staff of wood that had been encircled with ivy and flowers. He made several passes around the edge of the circle and everyone remained silent. It seemed to Hermione that she could almost feel the magic gathering in the circle as he passed. Finally, he stopped in front of Fleur and her parents.
"Who brings a woman to this binding?" he intoned.
"We, who love her, bring her here," Fleur's parents and sister responded.
"And does this woman enter into this binding of her own free will?"
"I do," Fleur's voice answer was clear.
"Then enter into the circle," he instructed them. Ginny entered first, followed by Gabrielle, then Fleur's mother and father. They walked to the center of the circle and waited. The wizard held out his arm and Fleur took it, allowing him to lead her in. Her gown was white and silver, and her feet bare. Slowly, they progressed into the center, and Fleur joined the others waiting.
The wizard made another series of passes around the circle, stopping where Bill stood with the other Weasleys. His robe was dark blue, edged with silver, and even with the scarring of his face, he was handsome.
"Who brings a man to this binding?"
"We, who love him, bring him here." Hermione noted that Molly Weasley was already wiping her eyes, as she, her husband, and Bill's brothers gave the ritual response.
"And does this man enter into this binding of his own free will?"
"I do." Bill's voice rang out, and Hermione felt tears in her own eyes. Ron and the twins entered the circle, followed by Charlie, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Hermione felt a stab of sadness that Percy had chosen not to take part in his brother's wedding.
The wizard extended the staff to Bill who took hold of it, and the two of them made their way to the center of the circle. There, Bill and Fleur stood side by side, but did not touch.
The wizard stood in front of the couple, and the other family members joined hands, making a circle around them. Waiting until all movement had stopped, the wizard then continued the ceremony.
"Is it your wish, and your consent, to be bound for eternity?" he asked.
"It is," Fleur and Bill responded.
"Bring forth the symbols of eternal binding."
Gabrielle stepped forward to Fleur's side and held out her hand. Charlie did the same next to Bill.
Hermione leaned towards Luna and whispered, "What are they holding?"
"Rings," Luna whispered back. "Plain bands. They will be embellished as the ceremony progresses."
As Hermione watched, Bill took the ring from Charlie and slid it onto Fleur's finger. Fleur took the ring held by Gabrielle and placed it on Bill's finger.
"Join hands and be bound," the wizard commanded.
As they did so, Ginny stepped forward and held out a number of ribbons. Gabrielle took the first one from her and tied it around the joined hands of Bill and Fleur. As she placed the ribbon, a murmur of approval came up from the guests.
The ribbon was blue. Luna leaned towards Hermione. "Blue represents peace and devotion."
A second ribbon was added. The ribbon was white. "Truth, purity, and protection," Luna explained.
The third ribbon was placed. The ribbon was rose, and Hermione saw many of the guests wiping their eyes. "What does it mean?" she asked.
"It means unconditional love," Luna's eyes were dreamy.
The wizard turned to Bill. "Do you accept this binding from this woman?"
"I do," Bill responded, "with my entire heart and soul."
A blaze of light flared around the couple and seemed to draw into the ring on Bill's hand. From where she stood, Hermione could see that the ribbons were gone, and that the ring had changed and now had a number of gems in it. She turned to Luna for an explanation.
"The gemstones correspond to the ribbons, and each gem carries an additional meaning," said Luna. "Sapphire - which denotes faithfulness, ruby - which denotes nobility, and diamond – which denotes eternal love." She sighed. "She must love him very much."
"I think she does," Hermione agreed.
Ginny and Gabrielle returned to their places, and now Fred, George, and Ron joined Charlie, each of them holding a ribbon. Charlie took the first one from Fred and tied it around the joined hands of the wedding couple. The ribbon was green.
Without waiting to be asked, Luna whispered the meaning to Hermione. "Luck, prosperity, and fertility."
The second ribbon was taken from George and tied with the others. The ribbon was red. A murmur rose again from the guests.
"Passion, strength, courage, and security," Luna explained.
Ron held out the last ribbon to Charlie. The ribbon was yellow.
"Oh...happiness," Luna breathed. Again, Hermione felt tears in her own eyes. If anyone deserved happiness, it was Bill. He'd been injured so horribly, nearly killed, but there he stood with Fleur, and his joy was evident for everyone to see.
The wizard now addressed Fleur. "Do you accept this binding from this man?"
Fleur looked at Bill, and there was no mistaking the love in her face. "I do, weeth my entire 'eart and soul."
Again, the light flashed and settled into the ring on her hand, and the gemstones appeared.
Luna was wiping her eyes, and it was Neville who continued the explanation.
"Wow. Garnet – for love and devotion, Emerald – it's known as the stone of successful love and marriage, and Topaz – true love."
The wizard turned to the assembled guests. "Do you now join hands with each other and this couple and their families. Let our strength become theirs and their love touch all of us."
Hermione took Neville's hand in her right hand and Luna's hand in her left. She saw Harry join hands with Luna and Tonks, and Tonks with Remus and another guest. And so it continued until a great circle had formed, which was completed when the bride and groom stepped into it and joined their hands with the others. Golden light seemed to encompass the entire group and Hermione felt a surge of power enter through her hands, leaving a feeling of joy and contentment.
The wizard in the center of the circle lifted his staff towards the sky. "This binding is now completed, and shall be for all eternity. Let all here depart now in love and joy."
The light faded around them, the circle broke up, and everyone moved forward to congratulate the bride and groom.
The wedding celebration lasted until morning. Long tables appeared, laden with food and drink, and the guests exchanged hugs and kisses with the newly married couple and the members of their families. After being the recipient of several kisses, Hermione decided that there were definitely too many Weasley brothers. Fred came up to her, and she held out her hands to fend him off.
"Honestly, Fred," she exclaimed. "This is your third time."
Fred tried his best to look innocent. "Really, Hermione, I haven't had a kiss from you yet. It must have been George the other three times."
In spite of herself, Hermione had to laugh. "Well, then Fred, I suggest you go get one of the kisses back from George!" Fred laughed with her, and together they headed for a nearby table. He provided her with a glass of punch, then walked off to look for a more obliging victim. Hermione waited until he was out of sight, and carefully poured the punch on the ground. Rule number one, she knew well – never accept anything to eat or drink from one of the twins.
As she circulated among the guests, Hermione noted a number who stayed on the outskirts of the gathering, watching their surroundings tensely. Aurors and Ministry security, she realized, and with a sudden pang remembered that this wedding was taking place in the middle of a war.
Music drifted over the assembly, and Hermione watched the couples dancing to it in the moonlight. She saw Tonks dancing with Charlie Weasley, and realized that Remus must have returned to Hogwarts. This close to the full moon, he would be totally exhausted. Ron was dancing with Gabrielle, and Luna with Neville. Hermione smiled as she saw Ginny dancing with her father, and Molly Weasley with her son George. Someone tapped her on the shoulder, and Hermione turned to see Harry grinning at her.
"Would you like to dance?"
Hermione shook her head. "I'm not much for dancing, Harry. But I'd love to sit this one out with you."
The two of them found a bench beneath a flowering tree, and watched as the petals drifted down around them. Harry seemed more relaxed than he had been in a long time. Hermione smiled.
"You seem really happy tonight. Is it because of Ginny?"
"Yeah," Harry blushed. "We're not...I mean...together, but for tonight at least, we're just having a good time."
"I'm glad," said Hermione. "The wedding ceremony was really beautiful. Maybe someday..." She stopped. Was there going to be a someday for any of them?
Harry nodded. "Yeah, maybe."
The song ended, and Ginny waved at them. Harry rose to his feet. "She really likes to dance. I'd better get over there." Hermione watched him walk away and take Ginny's hand as the music started up again.
Sitting alone on the bench, she pondered the ceremony she'd witnessed. What would it be like to bind for all eternity to the one you love? She looked at her wrist, and imagined colored ribbons intertwined there. But try as she might, she couldn't picture the man who would stand there with her. Not Harry – she loved him, but not like that. Or Ron. A feeling of melancholy washed over her. All she'd wanted for the past year was to be with him, but it wasn't working out the way she'd expected. Their personalities were too different. They didn't share the same interests. And although she really felt that he cared for her, he didn't care about the things that were important to her.
The breeze picked up, and petals swirled down around her. Hermione watched them fall while she mused on the type of man she wanted - someone more serious, certainly more level-headed. Someone intellectual, who would care about learning as much as she did. And suddenly, she could feel fingers on her arm, cool and dry, and was surprised at the thought that came unbidden to her mind. Maybe...
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