Susan Bones slung her dragon hide jacket over the back of her chair and grinned at Hannah. The poor girl was trying to coax Gregory Goyle and Millicent Bulstrode out to the table.
Luna and Neville were examining three bottles of wine. One of them was from a batch Luna made from her own garden. The stuff would make you crazy if you drank too much. Luna would make total sense and you'd see nargles everywhere. She'd have to warn the Slytherin brigade.
"She insists on serving it." Neville flopped down in another chair. "I spent five hours in my greenhouse listening to my plants sing the last time she pulled that stuff out."
"That's sweet." Susan snorted. "I wound up dancing naked with the girls and a variety of garden gnomes."
"You win." Neville grabbed a glass of water and took a large gulp.
"So, our Hermione married the great white ferret." Susan smirked and tilted back on two legs in her chair. "The sex must be mind blowing. That or she was drinking Luna's wine."
"They seem happy." Neville made a face and shrugged his shoulders. "That's good enough for me."
"This has the potential to be a great deal of fun." Susan grinned.
"You look so sweet." Neville shook his head. "But, you are a very wicked witch."
"Thank you. I handed over my bridesmaid gown to Parvati yesterday. The fool didn't even try to check it for hexes." Susan frowned playfully. "Badgers have teeth. It would do some people well to remember it."
"Eagles have talons." Luna smiled and looked down demurely. "Most people don't see the raptor in me. I feel a bit bad about Ginny."
"So, you've gone all hexy." Neville shook his head in mock disapproval. "I doubt Hannah was quite so curse happy."
"Layered compulsion charms, actually." Hannah smiled at him as she escorted the pair of Slytherins to the table. "She'll be drunk and very friendly. Doubt anyone will notice the difference in Romilda though. I think you all know Greg and Millie."
"Have a seat." Neville smiled and gestured to the table. "Hermione will be along any minute. She likes to be on time."
"Don't give away all our secrets." Susan tossed her long red hair over her shoulder.
"Punctuality is a secret?" Luna tilted her head and stared just past Susan's shoulder. "I thought it was a nicety. It keeps the drozzleplats away, so, maybe, it's both."
"Are you sure these trousers are proper?" Greg gestured toward Millie. "Witches robes seem more..."
"Wrong place to worry about it, mate." Neville smiled at the wizard. "Don't want to leave here in witches robes yourself, do you?"
"I like the denims and the jumper." Millie rubbed the soft pink sweater.
"It looks good on you." Hannah sat next to Neville and bumped his shoulder. "Wouldn't you say, Nev?"
"She looks lovely." Neville nodded. He'd learned to agree with most anything these women said.
"Of course she looks lovely." Greg frowned and glanced around the table. "She's beautiful. I just worry. I don't want to make a mistake. We don't get out in public much."
"I have a feeling that's going to change." Neville glanced toward Luna and smiled as she nodded.
"Hermione has a plan." Luna hummed. "She weaves them out of sunlight and dreams and works her own alchemy to give them substance. It must be much harder to turn the ephemeral to solid reality than lead to gold. I think she'll need more puffapod in her garden. Best add flitterblooms as well. They serve as good defense against the scarlet nifflers."
Hannah and Susan glanced up at Luna and then toward each other. Neville could see the humor in all three witches' eyes. Their odd ability to communicate without words and with Luna's words frequently left him feeling like the spare prick at a wedding. He took a drink of his water, and closed his eyes.
The sudden warm presence of familiar magic brought a smile to his face. Hermione was here, and for once he knew first. He could sense a thread of amusement in her power.
"Have they driven you mad, then?" Hermione giggled and clapped her hand on his shoulder. The surge of connection as their magics aligned was disconcerting. His Gran's magic wasn't as strong a presence and his parents' magic stayed mostly contained. He grinned as she dropped a kiss on the top of his head.
"Are these witches picking on you, brother dear?" Hermione sat next to him and glanced at the wine bottle on the table. "Do I need to take them to task?"
"Like you would." Hannah snorted and erupted into laughter. "You had to go and make him official family. We're just your girl friends."
"Let me introduce the awkward ones trying to disillusion themselves." Hermione tugged Malfoy to her with the strength of their linked fingertips. "I think you all know my husband. He's a prat, but he's my prat so claws will be sheathed, Susan."
"I suppose badgers have claws as well as teeth." Luna grinned at Susan. "Hannah does a better job of hiding hers."
"Bedside manner and all." Hannah shrugged. "You can't be a proper healer without a good bedside manner."
"And you can't be a good curse breaker without..." Susan waggled her head from side to side. "Well, you know."
"I don't know." Blaise took the seat next to the beautiful redhead. "Do you want to teach me?"
"Blaise Zabini." Hermione shook her head playfully. "Try not to break him, Susan. Draco seems fond."
"Why don't you sit by me, Theo?" Luna glanced to the last empty chair. "I believe Hermione is about to bend the world to suit her design. It's fun. Would you like a glass of wine?"
"No." Several voices from around the table chorused.
Theo frowned and took the empty seat with a cool dignity.
"Luna makes her own wine. It makes the world seem a very different place." Neville smiled gently at Luna.
"Dirigible plums and flowers from my garden are hardly things to be feared even when they are fermented." Luna raised a delicate brow. "There is a less interesting elf made vintage though if anybody wants some."
"Considering our company, is this a business or pleasure lunch?" Susan conjured an iridescent bubble and rolled it through the air with slight flicks of her fingers. Blaise watched the bubble with an awed expression on his face.
"It's both." Hermione stood up and stripped of her coat revealing the familiar green of her husband's quidditch jersey.
"Sweet Salazar's sack." Blaise gulped. "You never looked that good in it, Malfoy."
"So, we are making statements." Luna grinned. "I think you look delightful, Hermione. I imagine Salazar's sack would agree if the man were around to observe you."
"Thanks." Hermione smiled and leaned into Draco's shoulder. "So, let's get some business out of the way. Shall we?"
Susan, Luna, and Hannah nodded. Neville was well acquainted with his sister's coven of friends. Their quirks and foibles had turned into strengths together.
"I think we should." Theo glanced around the table before locking his eyes on her. "I don't much want to be a pet, and I'm not as beguiled by your affable front as Draco. There's no love lost between us. Never has been. So, why are you on a sudden crusade?"
"Theo." Greg slapped his hand on the table. "Mind your manners. She's our mates wife, and this isn't a sudden interest. She's the one that got them to let us out of that thrive damned hole. She's the one that helped me get a job at Hogwarts. I'm not smart like you lot, but I know there aren't a lot of people in this world that would stand up for us after all we've done."
"Hufflepuff." Blaise snickered until Susan smacked him in the stomach and Hannah hit him with a mild stinger.
"We don't generally attack each other along house lines. There are no golden apples here, so we don't have to hand a victory to Eris after all." Luna looked sternly at everyone. "I am tired of war."
"I could be arsed about house loyalty." Neville stood and glared at Theo. "She's my sister, and you will not disrespect her."
"She is not your bloody sister. Draco might want to pretend she's a pure blood princess, but we all know Granger's origins are earthy." Theo sat back in his chair and stared up at Neville with a steady gaze. "I'm sure you Gryffs love to hug and pretend to be all happy families, but that doesn't make it real."
"Éðelstæf, Longbottom, æðelu." Neville swirled his wand in a circle and a glowing golden circlet appeared on his head and on Hermione's before sinking into their skin. "She is my sister by blood and by magic. You will apologize for even hinting at that word or you will find out why I hold an Order of Merlin First Class."
"She's my wife." Draco stood and put his hand on her shoulder. "You can have him when I'm done."
"If she was offended you'd both be fighting over his carcass." Susan shook her head. "This is why we don't usually bring men along. Infantile posturing and outright idiocy hold no appeal."
"Susan is giving you a chance to sit down before Hermione makes you." Hannah yanked on Neville's arm. "I think we should all have a conversation. Hermione and Nev tend to rush forward once they've made a decision. It's just their nature. Susan hexes before she thinks things through. Luna likes to mediate and meditate. I will take you down and make sure you don't get back up if you hurt my friends, so open your ears and your mind, Mr. Nott."
"I am a Longbottom." Hermione smiled and patted Neville's shoulder as he sat down next to her. "I am also a Malfoy." She leaned against Draco's shoulder and sighed. "I suppose a few explanations won't hurt anyone. So, I'll answer one question for each of you. Make it a good one."
"I don't think you should get to dictate the terms." Theo sat forward again. "You were all set to marry the ginger menace. Now, here you sit, as if butter wouldn't melt in your mouth, married to one of my best friends. Excuse me, but I cry foul."
"Shut your mouth, Theo." Millie frowned and blushed. "She's a kind person and a good person. She's a war hero."
"There's an agenda at play here, Millie." Theo glared at Hermione. "And one doesn't become a war hero without sacrificing things along the way. I won't be a pawn."
"I don't much care for chess." Hermione rubbed Draco's arm gently. "We have all been pawns. I would never do that."
"She's bossy." Neville patted her back. "She has an absurd love of books and a need to make the world better. There are times when avoiding her temper is far better than pricking it. She's also a Malfoy. Everyone has their faults. I know most all of hers. She won't use anyone. You'll never be a pawn."
"So says you, her so called brother." Theo's lips twisted with distaste.
"A little of my wine might have made this a more congenial meeting." Luna sighed.
"She's my wife." Draco glared at his friend. "She not trying to hurt any of us."
"This doesn't strike any of you as odd?" Theo looked from face to face. "She was supposed to marry the wanker Weasley. Despite all the sunshine and light in the papers, she was dumped for a proved breeder. So, what does a vindictive woman do?" He took a deep breath and waited for a moment. "Granger's history speaks for itself."
"Malfoy." Draco put his hand over hers on the table. "Her surname is Malfoy."
"She's using you for a laugh." Theo glared at her. "She'll trot you around and embarrass that ponce she was set to marry, then it'll be divorce. Muggleborns have no problem with breaking marriage bonds."
"Not all muggleborns feel that way." Hermione rolled her eyes. "My parents would never have considered a divorce."
"Divorce isn't a possibility. We married traditionally." Draco smiled. "I thought I'd explained this."
"How traditional was the ceremony?" Theo sat back. "Weasley, Potter, or Krum might have prior claim."
"They don't." Draco ground the word out through his teeth. "Stop this. I know you always expect the worst, but my wife is not trying to humiliate me. We made a decision and let our magic guide us."
"You are worried about your friend." Luna patted Theo's hand gently. "We all respect that, but you need to stop now. Her friends are starting to worry about your attitude. Do you admire anything about Hermione?"
"She's lovely." Theo shrugged. "I've always admired her mind and her devotion to her friends. She's actually quite devious."
"Which is what has you worried." Luna grinned as the others settled back into their seats. "They actually compliment each other quite well. The scarlet nifflers will be a problem, but they will have all our help. You aren't alone anymore. Even the night must have its counterpart."
"Everything happened so suddenly." Theo looked at Draco. "I was drunk and it took a while for my brain to engage."
"Perhaps your common sense will soon." Susan grinned and winked at him. "I know this is hard for you, but your her new house elf."
"Actually, our Hermione is now living with a small troupe of elves." Neville chuckled. Hermione smacked his arm.
"Don't make fun of our elves." Draco laughed. "They'll ban you from the property."
"So, if you're not using us, why?" Theo blushed at the approving nods from the female contingent at the table.
"The war is over. You served your time and more." Hermione leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. "Our society needs to move beyond this adversarial and combative prejudice."
"Most of our generation never took the mark, but that doesn't mean we weren't at least initially supportive." Theo tapped one finger on the pristine tablecloth.
"Raised to it." Luna patted his hand.
"Most of you didn't participate, and those that did were put in impossible positions." Hermione shook her head. "I've made the arguments successfully, but l didn't follow through. I'm sorry that I didn't help you after your release from Azkaban."
"You got us out." Blaise looked pointedly at Theo. "We wouldn't have done the same. Theo doesn't like that about himself."
"Blaise doesn't either." Greg sighed. "They're dunderheads that are worried about being in debt to you. I know you just want us to have a chance at life."
"Can we stop dwelling on all this." Susan frowned at the group. "I want to eat, and I want to know what Hermione has in her cauldron."
"Well, I've gotten very good at planning weddings." Hermione rolled her eyes. "Draco and I want to have a formal muggle ceremony, and I know Greg is worried Millie's parents will break their contract if he can't put her bride price together soon. I was thinking we'd make them the focus of the society pages."
"Romance." Luna giggled. "I thought yo didn't agree with Dumbledore."
"I didn't like his methods." Hermione clenched her fist. "Love is powerful. What that man did to us had nothing to do with it."
"I can't afford the wedding yet." Greg turned to Millie. "I'm sorry. You deserve the bride price your father has set."
"I'll cover it as a gift." Hermione held up her hand to silence the table. "I'll do it whether you help me or not."
"You'll give Greg the galleons?" Millie blinked.
"I'll have the transfer done today." Hermione nodded.
"We need to go shopping." Millie grinned. "We need to be seen. If your plan is going to work we have to be in each other's weddings."
"Looks like we have a new bluebell." Hannah grinned.
"Bluebell?" Blaise glanced at Draco.
"You had to ask." Neville covered his face with his hands.
"We all have a certain affinity for the bluebell flame." Susan opened her palm and a blue flame danced just above her skin. "We became friends during fifth year, but after the war we found we really enjoyed each other. We work together frequently. We play together pretty much always."
"They were arrested for dancing in a fountain last year." Neville shook his head. "I had to retrieve them from the muggle authorities."
"We paid the fine." Hannah patted Neville's shoulder.
"They were naked." Neville blushed. "None of them could remember what they had done with their robes."
"It was a full moon." Hannah shrugged.
"The water sprites were calling to us." Luna nodded.
"It was fun." Susan grinned.
"We'd been drinking Luna's wine." Hermione blushed. "And it was fun."
"I'm sure it was." Blaise looked at each girl with a wry grin. "Longbottom could have made a fortune selling tickets."
"Dennis will be here soon." Hermione hissed. "Behave."
"So, dress shopping." Draco smirked.
"We need dresses to wear to the wedding." Luna tapped her chin. "Are you invited, Millie? You are fairly close cousins with the bride."
"I wasn't planning to attend. It's not like we're friends." Millie blushed. "My mother is dead and my aunt didn't attend the funeral. Perhaps I should be the bigger person."
"It's a good plan. We get our pictures taken. Starts people talking." Hannah grinned. "Plus, there's entertainment value."
"Fifty galleons says Mama Weasley acts up before Ron." Susan spun a coin on the table. "Want to be my date, Blaise?"
"Where are we going?" Blaise leaned toward Susan with an appreciative leer.
"To the third biggest social event of the season." Luna smiled and clapped when Susan pushed Blaise back with a well timed shield spell. "Theo, would you escort me? I think you will look forbidding, and I shall wear flowers in my hair."
Theo managed a bewildered nod as Dennis Creevey bounced into the room with his camera. The small woman behind him was already writing.
"You will get used to it." Neville grinned at him. "Being one step behind them is no shame."
Author's Note - The spell Neville uses is derived from Old English. The first word translates to heir. The third word is used to describe noble origin. It seemed to me that the oldest magics should have some link to their founders.
Thanks so much for all your kind words. They do inspire me.