The Prophet wasn't present for Luna and Neville's wedding. Or at least no photos were leaked to them to publish. Hermione wondered if that was also Draco's doing, him protecting her from public spotlight, especially the scrutiny that came with being named Lovegood.
Hermione had no qualms wearing the same dress she had worn to Luna and Neville's wedding. It was a beautiful dress and she didn't really want to go to Viktor Krum's wedding to Cho Chang. But she still felt an ember of repulsion burning within her and she needed to say her piece to him; and she had no plans to initiate meeting him. The wedding invitation was a happy coincidence.
Also, maybe Draco would be there.
Returning to her house and splitting her time between hours at her parent's dentist office and being home with her parents had made her feel like a teenager again in the Summer months between school years. It made her feel like she could be okay like this, immersed fully within the muggle world.
After sitting on the invitation for a week, Hermione dropped into her chair at her desk in her bedroom after the longest five hours of her life, and began to write on a torn notebook page with a ballpoint pen to be addressed to Harry. She had decided she was going to Viktor's wedding and needed to know if at least Harry would be there.
She sent the letter with an owl who delivered her an envelope minutes after she came home, by bribing him with treats and two Knuts. He hooted softly and narrowed his eyes, but Hermione thought he would do it and let him go without worrying too much.
She opened the envelope and was surprised to see Ginny's handwriting. It wasn't Bo, but a regular post office owl. She must be staying at Grimmauld Place with Harry if she didn't use Bo.
Hey Granger,
Are you going to Cho and Krum's wedding? Cho invited me, Krum invited Harry. You can come as our third! Go together and all that. Let me know what you think!
Gin
Hermione laughed. Third wheeling with them wasn't a bad idea. She could eat free food, catch up with them, then leave as soon as she wanted to.
She showered, went to bed, and woke up to a response. They would accompany her and she wouldn't feel weird being there alone.
Hermione slipped into the dress again around midday on a Saturday. The air had begun to cool as the Summer winds died down and the sun hid behind clouds. She let her hair fall in all it's glory around her shoulders. It trapped warmth to her shoulder blades and doubled as a shawl. She had grown to love her hair and learned to control its frizz in time.
She put single pearls in her ear lobes and left her neck bare. She kissed her parents goodbye and apparated to Grimmauld Place.
When she entered, she froze immediately at the sight of Ginny pressed against the wall of the foyer and Harry's hand was buried under her dress. They were so intwined with each other, Hermione couldn't tell where Harry ended and Ginny began. Ginny broke from the kiss and her eyes widened, she pressed her palm to Harry and he looked up, saw Hermione, took three swift steps back to the opposite wall and gave a sheepish grin.
"You knew I was meeting you both here, right?" Hermione had looked away almost immediately, but she couldn't unsee what she walked in on. Ginny and Harry were panting audibly and Hermione wanted to run but settled for hiding behind her palm.
"Sorry, Mione." Ginny's voice was breathy and dripping in mortification. "We got- carried away."
"Should I give you both a second before we go?" Hermione peeked from behind her palm and found Ginny straightening her dress and finger combing her hair back into place.
"Um. I'm good. You good Harry?" Ginny grinned broadly and glanced between them. "Okay, let's go."
Hermione hadn't even shut the door behind her and they were out again. They twisted on the top step and with a sharp tug behind her navel, they landed in a meadow at the address of the wedding.
Except it wasn't a meadow entirely because it was completely occupied by a massive sparkling tent, and the sky was littered with floating balloons and lights all intertwined together.
"Holy shit." Gin said into Hermione's ear. Then she linked her elbow into Harry's and Hermione's and tugged them forward.
People had begun to appear where they walked away from. Hermione let her eyes wander as she admired the magic around her. It was intense and the magic was almost palpable. The lights twinkled and bounced off the floating balloons Hermione saw upon closer inspection were actually paper lanterns.
The tent shimmered like snow under sunlight. And strewn through all of it was the deep red bouquets of flowers; that Durmstrang red they were known for. Crystals shimmered delicately from the ceiling of the tent, flickers of light bounced off them and onto every surface.
Harry and Ginny looked beautiful in their matching black. Ginny in a black velvet dress that left her shoulders bare but poofed softly at her forearms, and clung to her hips all the way to her calves. A slit up to her mid thigh allowed her to walk unencumbered. Harry matched her with a velvet bow tie and velvet vest beneath his flat black dress robes.
Hermione felt like the lettuce in a sandwich, the green of her dress brought out the red of Ginny's hair and the green of Harry's eyes. Because they arrived together, no one interacted with any of them. Murmurs erupted around them as they looked for a seat in the aisles of chairs, a bright flash let Hermione know they were bound to make an appearance in The Prophet tomorrow. Hermione barely had time to search for a familiar white blond head before someone was trying to get their attention.
"Gin!" Someone called to them. Hermione's head swivelled. It couldn't be…? "I saved you guys seats!"
It was Ron. And next to him was- "Katie Bell?" Harry exclaimed as he half stumbled forward to pull her into a hug. Ginny hugged Ron before pinching his sides. Then Ron looked at Hermione and smiled before shrugging.
Hermione pulled him into a hug and kissed him on the cheek.
"It's good to see you." She brushed his hair from his eyes before she turned to Katie and hugged her. "How have you been? I feel like I haven't seen you since after." She didn't need to specify after what. After the war was the last time they saw a lot of their classmates.
"I've been busy! Playing for the Wimbourne Wasps . I only just had time this weekend for a little wedding. For Cho Chang and Viktor Krum! Who'd have thought it?" Katie sat pulling Hermione and Ginny down with her. They huddled and talked, grinning widely at each other and for the first time in a long time, felt like normal women in the Wizarding World without the chaos around them.
When the string orchestra filled the tent with harmonies that thrummed through them, they fell into silence and looked up.
Viktor walked in first, his eyes as moody as ever. His dress robes were the colour of the bouquets around the room, and the boutineer was shimmering white. He stood beside a man Hermione recognised as one of his team mates from the Bulgarian team. A tiny old wizard stood expectantly and Hermione assumed he was the officator. The aisle, Hermione just realised, was scattered with white petals, the floor itself was sparkling.
The orchestra rose into a crescendo, and everyone's attention turned to the tent's opening.
Cho glowed. Her dress was the slightest of blues, like snow under a bright blue sky, reflecting the cold, soft, tones. Her sleek black hair was pulled back and clipped, falling straight down to her waist. The dark bouquet stood in contrast to how she radiated. The flash of cameras all went off at the same time and Cho grinned at Viktor.
His expression softened at the sight of her, and his resting scowl face was gone. Hermione wondered since the months she had found out, if he had fallen in love with Cho. And decided it didn't matter.
She smiled until it hurt when she saw how happy Cho was. She clapped and cheered with everyone else as they slipped rings onto each other's fingers. And she decided Cho deserved that someone stood up for her. Married or not, Hermione would hold Viktor accountable for his thoughtless actions.
The wedding progressed and Hermione was pulled onto the dancefloor with Ginny. Ginny leaned into her and giggled.
"Do you think we'd make it on the front page, Granger?" Ginny's breath tickled her cheek as they both spun and laughed as their bodies felt giddy. "Maybe we can leak it to them that you actually got proposed to by all the Weasleys."
Hermione threw her head back and laughed. She felt her cheeks hurt from smiling too much and too widely, but she didn't care.
"Are you sad that he isn't here tonight?" Ginny pushed hair back from Hermione's face as the dance ended and they walked to the edge of the dancefloor, making room for others.
"Who?" Hermione met Ginny's eyes, one red eyebrow rose as she cocked her head. "Oh, maybe. I thought he would be here, but I came with different intentions anyway." Hermione conceded. Ginny grinned and then pulled Hermione to where Ron, Harry, and Katie were standing with flutes of champagne.
"What other intentions?" Everyone looked to Hermione and she felt her mouth open but no words came as she met Ron's eyes. She couldn't bring herself to say she had slept with Viktor. Not with him here. Not so soon after he could bear to be in the same room as her and Harry.
"I need to congratulate Viktor. And Cho. I didn't want anyone to think there was any ill will, with the whole newspaper fiasco. It would have looked weird if I didn't come, right?" Hermione gave Ginny and Harry what she hoped was knowing looks, after which they glanced at each other and Hermione knew they understood.
"Hey, Ron, Katie. You should dance to this one with Harry and I!" Ginny caught Katie's free hand with hers and tugged her along. Ron's shoulders slumped, Hermione remembered how much he hated dancing, but then he caved and followed as Harry wrangled him around the neck and they melted into the bodies on the dancefloor.
Hermione looked around.
And as if he had known she wanted to speak to him, there he was. Cornered by guests who were congratulating him, and Cho was not at his side. His eyes locked onto Hermione and she felt a familiar thrill run through her.
The hunger in his eyes told her she definitely needed to say what she came to say. It also made her realise how desperate she missed being loved. Coupled with Ginny and Harry's scene at Grimmauld Place, Hermione felt her body cry in need to be touched.
He strode to her and Hermione banked hard to the left toward the outskirts of the meadow where the trees were a wall of shadow, blocking out the shimmering lights of the tent, paper lanterns and hovering lights.
"Herm-" Viktor called as he stepped into the forest undergrowth.
"You don't get to speak." Hermione let her voice rise, but kept her tone rigid.
"I thought you vanted to see-" Viktor stepped toward her and Hermione flicked her wand, the rest of his words got caught in his throat even though his mouth kept moving.
"I never want to see you. And you will stay until I have had my say." Hermione stepped up to him and tilted her head back to glare at him. She saw his hand twitch, but he eyed her wand and didn't move to touch her.
"Cho Chang has been through hell. And she is a friend. What you did to me at the Vie? That should have never happened. It would have never happened if I had known you were engaged to her. I do not sleep with engaged men. You took that choice away from me.
"I thought I knew who you were, Viktor." Hermione felt her face go hot, her hair cackled around her as she made fists and swallowed anger she had no idea was being repressed to begin with. "You were my first boyfriend. You were my first love. And you found the worst way to betray what we had. You had no respect for me. For Cho!
"I don't expect that you'd tell her you slept with me. I won't tell her. But I need you to know if you hurt her, I'd be your worst enemy. She- and I- deserved better than what you did to us." Hermione combed her hand through her hair.
Viktor's chest was heaving, and his breaths made no sounds. With a flick of her wand, she ended the silencing charm and she stepped away.
He grabbed her wrist.
"Hermy-" He flinched when she spun to face him then he released her hand. "I am sorry." Viktor looked at his feet, buried a fist in his pocket, and swiped his free hand over his face.
"Yea, whatever you say, Viktor." Hermione turned again and walked up the slight slope back toward the dancefloor and tent.
And striding toward her, hair bellowing in her wake, was a face she had seen in moving pictures only a week ago.
Astoria Greengrass. Her entire face contorted into an unreadable rage. Rage directed at Hermione.