Draco sat back and looked around the table where his grandmother in law was holding court. The mix of Gryffs and Puffs with the token Claw made sense, but his own house was mixed in and going mostly unnoticed. Five snakes in the garden, he took a deep breath, and all of them welcome.
It was beyond imagining. Theo was relaxed and laughing. Greg and Millie were both smiling like it was a disease. Strangest of all, Blaise was settled and content.
Hermione laughed at something Neville said and pulled his attention to her. The Longbottom siblings were putting on a choreographed show for each visitor to their table. He played his part when called upon. It was odd to be the accessory, but it was enjoyable.
"Here comes Seamus." Neville chuckled. "Five galleons says he blows something up tonight."
"No bet." Hermione shook her head. "I lived with him for long enough to know better."
Draco watched the wizard approach. He remembered him only as a peripheral player. A red and gold tie and a blackened face flared to life in his memory. He'd been a face in the crowd for the most part.
"Madame Longbottom, my gran sends her well wishes on your new family." The man bent at the waist.
"Tell the dear girl that she should come for a visit. She doesn't get back home near enough." Augusta smiled. "Be a good lad and talk with your friends. I see Arthur Weasley and must congratulate him."
"Sit down, Seamus." Hermione smiled. "She won't be back for a bit."
"I'm not one to share a table with..." Seamus frowned and tried to force words from his mouth.
"I'm not going to let you say something to rile up my sister." Neville stood up and pulled Seamus away.
"I was expecting fireworks." Blaise frowned and set his wine glass down. "Why did Longbottom drag him off."
"We were hoping to minimize the coming storm." Hermione rolled her eyes. "The fact that I brought Malfoy is being whispered about. In a few minutes, every Weasley will know I married him. I was hoping Harry would get his arse over here first. I would have liked to talk."
Neville returned to his seat and kissed Hannah's cheek. His jaw flexed repeatedly as he stared off into the crowd.
"He's off to get Kingsley." Neville shook his head. "He's convinced we are under some advanced form of imperius."
"He always was good at causing explosions." Luna swirled her wine in her glass.
"Kings won't be a bother." Hermione stood up and shook her dragon scale lace out. "Let's dance. We've been quiet long enough."
Draco frowned as all the women stood. Even Millie rose to her feet. He looked up at his wife and smirked.
"If anyone is imperiused, it's me." Draco stood and offered his arm to Hermione. "Come Fairies, take me out of this dull world."
"You've gotten into my poetry collection." Hermione grinned. "Yeats was my mother's favorite."
"It seemed appropriate." Draco grinned and pulled her into the swirl of the waltz. "It was a nice meal."
"Don't pretend you're dreading this." Hermione smiled up at him. "I can feel your excitement."
"I should hope so." Draco laughed as the blush rose up her cheeks.
The dance floor cleared and left him with a great deal of room to maneuver his lovely wife. He caught sight of Neville and Hannah gliding onto the dance floor and smiled. Five couples on the dance floor. He grinned and shot up five stars with a flick of his fingers. Blaise nodded first and squared his hold. Theo spun Luna about and mouthed his ascent over her head. Greg paled, but Millie nodded. She'd always been the better dancer. Neville smiled. It was an oddly mischievous smile. His brother in law had depths.
"Time to do a little magic." Draco kissed Hermione and slipped into the delicate spirals of the witches' waltz.
"Sympathetic magic?" Hermione grinned. "It's a bit subtle for you."
"It's a gift to be subtle and flamboyant." Draco smirked at her as each couple wove their way around the floor creating the first line of the pentacle. It took timing, but they moved well together. Hermione's eyes sparkled as she tossed her head back.
The couples each began to glow as the tempo of the music increased. They left sparkling wakes behind them that grew denser with each pass until the pentacle formed in a swirling mass of light.
Draco could hear the crowd murmur. Most of them had never seen this kind of magic. The pure bloods and some of the halves would have heard tell of it, but it was more legend than reality for most. He looked at the glowing symbol as they swirled and felt a sense of peace.
Molly Weasley stared at spectacle and felt tears track hotly down her face. She'd learned the dance as a child, but she'd never seen the ritual succeed. She glanced toward Arthur as a tendril of light broke from the outer circle and brushed through the crowd to the land.
"The gift of renewal." Arthur blinked and grabbed her hand. She felt their bond between them flare to life. A tendril of the light spun out from the circle as one of the couples went spinning by in the intricate pattern. She watched as it approached them and sighed in relief as the power accepted them. It slid along her skin and thrummed against her bond to Arthur.
She could see Amos Diggory and his wife glowing across from them. Soon every married couple was enveloped in the power. Every married couple, but the newly weds.
Molly closed her eyes. She'd thought this magic was lost, thought that the power in their world had lessened, but it wasn't the power that had gone missing. She opened her eyes and stared at her youngest son standing next to his bride in the shadows.
Hermione whirled through the intricate pattern of the dance without thought. She'd spent some time learning the formal dances for her wedding, but she had loved the very notion of this dance. Magic wasn't just about wands. She'd read the texts about the original dance and how it had evolved over time. It was classified as lesser sympathetic magic, but it felt like fire in her veins. This was a form of celebration and veneration. It was an offering to the gods and goddesses. It was a gift to the land and the magic users bound to it. It was all that, and it made her want to fly. Her husband's arms held her secure as she floated through the dance. He was her anchor. He was her other half. Draco's fingers flexed at her waist and set off a powerful thrum of magic inside her.
She looked up at him and met the mercurial gleam in his eyes with a smile. He was hers. This beautiful, complicated man had given his life into her hands and accepted hers in return. She felt like singing. She had forgotten this feeling somewhere in the war, but she recognized it and welcomed its return. Joy.
She let her magic free and felt it wrap around Draco. He smiled at her and raised a brow. She smirked up at him and felt his magic rise to meet hers. She felt something shift within her. A new warmth blossomed inside her. She felt her magic accept and meldwith his. Each step, each spin brought them closer and tighter. All his darkness and all his light aligned with hers.
She felt their magic around them. It was no longer hers and no longer his. There was no beginning and no end. Their magic spilled through her and surged up inside her. She raised her hand from his body and let it flow upward into the night.
"Draconis Flamma." Hermione never missed a step as a blue flame took the form of a dragon above her.
Charlie felt conflicted for a moment. Watching the dancers was entrancing, but she had just conjured a dragon. It wasn't a real dragon. It had no organs or scales, but he didn't care. It was a dragon with all the majesty and power of the beasts he loved.
The blue flames swirled above them as the dragon joined the dance. He could feel the warm brush of air with each downward sweep of the wings.
The beast drew the magic of the pentacle up and spread it out into the night releasing the blessing of magic from its tether. The small glowing orbs drifted on the wind carrying power and joy into the world.
The couples continued their dance. None of them missed a step. None of them seemed awed. The dragon dipped low shrinking its size. The thing darted around the couples before swirling around Hermione and Malfoy.
The blue fire reflected in the lacework of her outer robe created the illusion of real scales. He watched the scales move and flutter. They seemed to glow. The dragon flashed around the dancing couple as the music rose toward its end. The glowing pentacle pulsed as each couple spun at a point. Hermione and Malfoy shimmered like living flame as the dragon continued its flight around them.
The music stopped and the magic glow sank into the earth.
He heard the murmurs about the blessing and the magic. It had been an impressive show. A warm breeze spilled across the excited crowd, but Charlie couldn't tear his eyes away from Hermione. The sleeve of her outer robe fell to her shoulder as she reached up toward the dragon. The blue flames refracted off the metallic design on her upper arm.
"She's married?" He heard Aunt Muriel somewhere behind him.
"Traditional." A male voice whispered further back.
"So much power." An awed woman muttered.
He could hear them all, but quit caring. The dragon had landed in her hands. The flames flickered against her skin but didn't burn her. Malfoy wrapped an arm around her shoulder and grinned down at the tiny bit of flame.
Charlie looked at them as the dragon disappeared in a riot of blue and purple sparks. Draco and Hermione Malfoy. Hopping hippogriffs.
He looked over at Bill, but neither of them had a clear line to Ron. He caught sight of Percy trying to get to the happy couple, but it was too late. Someone moved and Ron's purple face was visible, his mouth open. It was too damn late.
"What in bloody, fucking hell, 'Mione?"
Author's Note - I am an evil writer. I am a bad, bad person that lives to tease. I hope you love it enough to forgive me.