Hello, darlings. This is a short chapter. Sorry, not sorry. I had a scathingly brilliant idea typing out the last half and decided it deserved to be properly fleshed out. It is worth the little chapter and the wait, I promise. Usual disclaimer, I own nothing. I adore all of you. Thank you so much for reading!
Chapter 37 Greetings
Hermione spread the inventories across the dining room table. Household items, decorations, an alphabetized list of the contents of the library, only the barrels had proven to be the only magical discovery of note. She expected historians to be lining up in hopes of viewing the remaining belongings of Circe. She made notes of the topics covered by the library to cut down on future entry attempts by those that just wanted to nose around. Honestly, she was inventing busy work to keep herself occupied until Marcus finished training for the day.
Apprehensive the two would not make it from the room they met in, let alone up the stairs to their room, Harry made plans to visit the Longbottoms for dinner. "I may stay the night just to be safe," he told her half kidding.
The grandfather clock chimed 6:30 when Hermione heard the front door open. She ran to meet Marcus, leaping the last three feet at him. He caught her easily, supporting her weight as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She kissed him urgently. "Missed you, missed you, missed you," she repeated between kisses.
"I missed you, too. Wonderful to see you. How was your trip?" he asked peppering her neck with kisses and nibbles.
"Later. Talk later, sexy time first."
"Thank fuck."
"Yes, that exactly. Now, please." She pulled his earlobe into her mouth and sucked on it. Hard.
With a groan that morphed into a moan, Marcus began carrying her toward the stairs. "This would be quicker if you allowed apparation in the house."
"Nope," she ran her hands under his shirt, caressing his bare skin. "No popping about. Rude." They made it halfway up the staircase before a gentle grazing of fingers tickled the wrong spot and he lost his balance. He twist to take the brunt of the fall and sat with her straddling his lap. "Close enough." Hermione began unbuttoning his trousers. Agreeing with her, Marcus pulled her t-shirt over her head and removed her shorts. The sounds of tugging on clothing and grunts punctuated the removal of the minimum required clothing. Sinking, Hermione reveled in the feeling of fullness before rising to sink back down. She set a slow teasing pace, hands on his shoulders for balance. "Oh, my gods I missed this."
"You feel even more amazing than I remembered," he moaned. "Faster, please. I need..." Her increase in pace cut off the end of his sentence. "Sweet Salazar." He tried to grip her hips or waist, but couldn't reach with his forearms supporting them on the steps.
Panting heavily, Hermione squeezed her muscles tightly while rocking her hips back and forth, chasing her rapidly building release. She crashed over the edge, screaming his name and digging her nails into his shoulders. Slumped forwards, resting her head on his shoulders, she panted, "Hmmm, give me a second."
He wrapped his arms around her and stood. He climbed the last six steps to the landing. Bracing her back against the wall, Marcus drove back into her with enough force to shake the picture frames on the wall. She moaned against his neck, "Ah, oh, oh fuuuuccckkk, MARCUS!" She came hard for a second time, taking him with her.
They sank to the floor, "Wow," Marcus pulled her onto his lap. "That was, that was something."
"Harry was right to be somewhere else tonight," she laughed, trying to calm her breathing.
"We have the house to ourselves? Where else do you want to shag?"
"Right now? Nowhere, I need a few minutes."
He grimaced, "Too rough?"
"Not at all," she caressed his cheek, "perfectly rough. But I want to enjoy the alone time that isn't sex, too, you know?"
"Yes. Let's find some clothes, have dinner and you can tell me all about your trip."
"I want to hear about training, too."
He grinned and swatted her behind, "And by then I will have recovered enough to properly shag you rotten in the bed." She giggled and playfully swatted at him.
Narcissa invited Hermione and Harry to breakfast. She indicated in her invitation that Harry needed to start socializing if he wanted to join Voldemort's regime. Draco, Theo, Vanessa, and Daphne Greengrass were serving themselves when they arrived. Lucius greeted them with a nod. They joined the meal in progress. Harry mentioned a few of the topics they discussed the night before, "I still have a few questions, Mr. Longbottom mentioned I should probably publicly cut ties with Ginny because of the potions. Why?"
"You would be declaring that you did not willingly consent to anything that transpired between the two of you," Lucius told him.
"And you are not responsible for any consequences," Draco added.
Seeing Hermione's scowl, Narcissa cut in, "Witches may do the same thing, forcing the wizard to bear the brunt of child rearing."
"Conversely," remarked Lucius, "the wronged party can take sole custody of the child without rights for the other. The choice is theirs."
Hermione continued to frown, "Seems unfair to the baby."
"An imperfect system, I admit, but it also protects the victim from being pressured to marry the person who violated their trust, mind, and body. Couple that with the precious nature of magical offspring meaning that the termination of pregnancy is highly frowned upon. Or not be able to pay for said child."
"I suppose, that's fair, it is a no win scenario."
"And if Potter fathered a child with the She Weasel, by breaking with her he could still raise the baby if he wanted to, he just wouldn't have to deal with her," pointed out Theo.
"Because if he didn't, that happened, and he didn't agree to marry her, the Weasleys could petition to force the union. Even if that didn't work, until the baby was born and paternity is proven, he would have to support her," Vanessa added to the conversation.
"Before you ask, that means to buy her a house, furnish it, buy every item the baby needs, provide nourishment, and give Weaselette a stipend. By the time Baby Weasel pops out, Weaselette is ensconced in the house, one Potter has to pay for the entire time it takes to get her out. Actually, he keeps paying everything until he can get a judgment ending it. This can take years. And then, once he's paid for close to a decade of their lives, when it is over the Weaselette doesn't have to pay back a dime," Draco explained.
"During all that time what does Ginny pay for?" Hermione asked.
"Not a damn thing," Daphne told her.
"That's deplorable," Hermione was stunned.
"And that's why, while drastic, people in Harry's position formally cut witches and wizards like Ginny," Draco said. "And no one has any idea if she's pregnant, but it is next to impossible to do once he knows."
"If you know you've had anything close to a non-consensual relationship it is the best thing to do."
Harry ate in silence for the rest of the meal. As the tables were being cleared, he turned to Hermione, "I know it seems cruel to a hypothetical baby, but if it occurs and is mine, I can raise it without her. I don't want to give her the free ride she's trying to manipulate me into. I'm going to look out for me."
"Good for you, Mr. Potter, since the imaginary child everyone is fixated on is not the only concern. Without a statement showing her improper behavior, and your disapproval of them, if she could prove you had been intimate she could push for matrimony under the old social codes."
Harry nodded, "Yeah, that is not happening. What do I do?" Lucius instructed him on the steps to take.
Voldemort made a brief appearance with Bellatrix at his side. "Good morning, all. What has you looking so pensive, my dear?" he asked Hermione.
"Just wondering which one would react more, Rodolphus or Marcus if I told them I wanted to enact the old ways and force Marcus to marry me."
After a brief surprised pause, Bellatrix burst out laughing, startling Daphne. "Oh, my darling girl, you are precious. I love it," she clapped her hands. "And the answer is Roddy."
Narcissa shook her head, "That boy adores you, do not torment him like that."
"I didn't say I would do it, I just wondered," she smiled. "Well, I'm off to oversee last minute wedding prep for tomorrow. You all have fun."
Luna hung the hand-sewn linen robes on the front of her closet. "They look perfect, Hermione, thank you."
"You did half the work, Luna. But they do look beautiful." She ran her hand over the embroidered flowers and swirls.
"This time in two days I'll be leaving for a short honeymoon as Mrs. Graham Montague."
"Luna Montague has a nice ring to it," Hermione told her.
"It does," Luna smiled.
Hermione checked the list, "Robes, finished. Graham has the rings. The only thing remaining is the floral ropes and crowns. The florist scheduled their delivery for tomorrow afternoon. That gives us two hours to weave them."
"Plenty of time," Luna told her. "And if they fail us, there are suitable blossoms in the garden."
"And then Narcissa helps me destroy their business," Hermione grinned. "Does Mrs. Montague need any help?"
"I checked, she's more prepared than you would be."
"High praise, indeed," Hermione chuckled. "So we're done?"
"Until the daisy chains tomorrow," chirped Luna.
"So, spa day?" asked Hermione.
Luna bounced on her heels, "Yes, spa day."
Tucked into a corner of Diagon Alley Avalon's Delights pampered both witches and wizards, offering herbal soaks, massages, facials, nail care, hair care, and hairdressing. Best of all, they kept open slots for walk-in appointments. Anyone could decide they wanted the works at the drop of the hat, well, provided they had the money for the works. The hostess recognized Hermione from a previous visit with Narcissa. With bright eyes and a genuine smile, she approached them, "Welcome to Avalon's Delights, how can we relax you today?"
"My friend here is getting married tomorrow, so we're here for everything but getting our hair fixed."
The hostess's smile brightened, "Congratulations! Would you like to use
your previous preferences, Hermione?"
"Yes, I think so."
"Do you have a profile, miss?" she asked Luna.
"Uh, no, I don't."
The hostess's smile did the impossible and brightened further, "I'll get you a form. We can get started once you finish it." With Hermione's assistance, Luna made her selections quickly. Giggling she signed it Luna Montague. To their mild annoyance, the hostess took it, briefly ignoring a group of patrons piling in the door. "Thank you, ladies. I'll get you set up right away." She turned to the group that had just entered. "I will be right with you."
The group of five girls grumbled amongst themselves that they had appointments and shouldn't have them wait on others. Hermione fought to keep from smirking at their glares as they were ushered through the doors of the changing room. "If you would change into your robes, Melody will be right with you to begin your experience."
"Thank you," Luna beamed as she began stripping off her clothes to change."
The other group joined them almost instantly. Chattering animatedly about their plans for the evening. It seemed all five were devout quidditch fans, they weighed the pros and cons of various pubs and clubs for the evening. They seemed rather knowledgeable about the social habits of numerous players. Which increased during the off-season. "Tiffany said she heard Graham Montague is having his stag party tonight. We need to find out where that is." The others chimed in their agreement.
Luna frowned, "Well who can relax now?"
Hermione smiled and whispered, "Don't worry about it." In a louder voice, "So, we have our choice of the tickets the boys got for the first round, or Uncle Lucius offered his private box. Honestly, I'm leaning towards the box, personally."
"But they're so excited about the tickets," Luna protested.
"I know," Hermione glances over at the gaggle, they looked annoyed as the witches causally discussed having two options for such sought-after tickets. She slipped off her jeans and pulled her shirt over her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of the girls elbow the other and indicate her scars. "War is hell, keep staring and I will show you firsthand," she told them in a cold dead tone. Instantly all of them found a different point of the room fascinating.
Hermione slipped on her robe as Melody, a perky redhead, bounced into the room. "Hermione? And you must be Luna? Welcome, would you please follow me?"
They followed her from the changing room into a room filled with soaking tubs. Hermione smiled at Luna as they climbed in, "You can relax. Graham's stag party is going to Pucey's for boys' night poker. Those harpies aren't getting anywhere near them tonight."
Melody must have done her best to stall the other group as long as possible, as they did not enter the tub room for twenty minutes. Though they were still trying to guess where the stag party would be. "Montague's mates with Pucey, Flint, and those other two Slytherin hotties," one remarked climbing into her tub.
"Where does Pucey like to party? I bet he's organizing."
"Hmm, I see him a lot at Jubilation," the tallest girl answered. "They give out free shots for stag and hen parties."
"I never thought to ask, do you want a hen do?" Hermione pointed her foot at Luna.
The blonde shrugged, "They put off the stag because of training and having plenty of recovery time tomorrow."
"That doesn't answer my question."
"I don't have a lot of female friends," Luna said sadly.
"Me, Vanessa, Alex, Nora," Hermione ticked off people on her fingers. "I bet Draco, Blaise, Theo, Neville, or Harry would come with us, too."
"We don't have to," she replied softly.
"And now we so are."
"Do you think you can organize something on such short notice?"
"I'm going to pretend you didn't just say that," Hermione sniffed.
Melody popped in at that point to transition them to their massages. Hermione sent off invitations and inquiries and notified Melody they wished to add hairdressing and cosmetic services. By the time they moved onto facials and nail care, all three women had confirmed, and the men had all agreed to consider it. They had questions.
Nora, Vanessa, and Alexandria met them at the salon to get their hair done. Then Hermione insisted they raid her closet at the Hall for outfits. Vanessa looked excited, "Muggle clothes, Sweet Merlin, so daring. I love it!"
Blaise whistled when the ladies entered the room, "Damn, are any of you single anymore?"
Alexandria laughed, "Not for you."
Harry looked at Hermione, "You're wanting us to come along as a buffer, aren't you?"
"Yep."
Draco looked confused, "A buffer for what?"
"If anyone gets too pushy, or something, you step in and help get rid of them. Especially if we've been drinking heavily."
Luna, dressed in white with a tiny lace veil on her head, grinned at them, "And we will be drinking. The club gives out free shots to hen dos."
Harry looked at Neville, who sighed, "Team Gryffindor reporting for bodyguard duty."
Luna gave them both a kiss on the cheek, "Thank you."
Draco looked at Blaise, "We're in, but Theo doesn't like those places."
"I really don't," Theo admitted.
"We understand," Vanessa assured him with a hand on the shoulder. She looked at Hermione, "Now we party at Jubilation?"
"Now we party."