Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
AN: I know it's been a long time since the last update. When I came back from my vacation (it was amazing, thanks for asking), I was super busy with family stuff, and when I had time to write, I had major writers block. Sorry this took so long; I seem to have lost my train of thoughts since I was away from it for with vacation and business. Worst case scenario, I have an alternate planned that would only take about 2 chapters.
Review to keep me going? Ahaha, but do review anyways, it makes my day!
Panama Airport
Hermione heard at least a thousand collective sighs from the family. They were waiting for their luggage, more accurately, her and her cousin's luggage because the luggage from business class always came first.
Somehow, she got singled out by the bitch twins.
"If your stuff comes last, Hermione," Emily sneered. "I would be inclined to drag you rear end to the bus and not bother with your luggage."
They're not waiting for the attack, Hermione thought, jumping right in recklessly into an argument/catfight was almost as stupid as Harry when he decided to storm the Department of Mysteries. 'Almost' being a keyword.
"Oh, why ever would that be?" Hermione asked, playing along with Emily's little game. Emily always found a way to apparently make a joke, insult her, and look smart at the same time. Hermione wasn't going to let it go so easily this time. She was always on the end of Emily's egotistical garbs.
Not this time, she thought, taking in the shock that was evident in Emily's face. Emily was obviously not used to having people talk back to her, especially not Hermione.
"Because, why anyone could be bothered with you is a real question for me. You know, this goes on my super short list of things I don't know, right after 'is magic real?' you are probably the most plain Jane I've met." Emily managed a repartee. "I mean, when you grow old alone in your one bedroom flat, I'll buy you a cat to keep you company."
Weak, Hermione thought. No evidence to support the hypothesis. Snape would give this a Dreadful. And who said that I'm growing old alone? One bedroom flat? This girl couldn't get any further off the mark. She wanted to laugh out loud at this but suppressed it; it would be creepy to laugh when somebody just said this to you.
Hermione was ready with a counter to that statement when Maddie spoke up.
Dammit, I took too long thinking about Snape giving Emily a Dreadful and living the rest of my life in Malfoy Manor.
"Well, you obviously don't have anything that you're going to miss in there." Maddie's nose was at least 7 feet off the ground and her ego, even higher. "If you really need something, I can always buy it for you. Think of it as a reunion gift, straight from my savings account."
Maddie gave her a smug smirk and Hermione had the urge to slap it or sardine hex it off her face.
Nothing I'm going to miss? Merlin's smelly socks, that's my whole summer closet right there! Even if it wasn't, damn this bitch to Voldermort's diary and back, Hermione thought, I'm either winning this argument or I'll go tell McGonagall that I cheated on all of my NEWTs.
"Dear cousin, sometimes there are things that one can hold a personal value to – not that you would have anything like that, you only value the cost of it – but please do try to understand," Hermione picked a lock of her hair and started twirling it around her finger, at the same time not losing eye contact with the twins. "I happened to pack things of moral significance in my suitcase rather than the expensive strains on your parent's savings you two are hording around. I happen to buy my clothing with my own money" partial lie, Draco buys everything, but his money is the money we made together, and this statement is going to come back and bite me in the ass, I can already feel it "because having what you worked for will always be more satisfying than having what you begged for"
The girl was on a roll.
"In the hypothetical situation that my suitcase does not come in time with everyone else's, I am sure that my sweet Granny Kelsea would be willing to wait with me," it was a low blow and she knew it, but she couldn't resist telling them off about how Grandma Kelsea was with their parents because they wanted inheritance money. "And if you and your parents had already brainwashed her enough to make her leave, then I guess I can buy my own clothes. I don't think your savings account can handle it"
With that, Hermione sauntered away to the Rosiers, which happened to include her aunt and uncle. Max gave her an inconspicuous high five and they all laughed at Emily and Maddie's gaping faces; even Uncle Laurent was trying to stifle his laughter.
Hermione turned to check with her parents and her other aunts and uncles to see if she went too out of line or not. Apparently not, she thought, or maybe they didn't see the whole fiasco. All of the adults were in deep conversation about the economy, the new royal prince, and corgis.
"Well, at least I'm proud of someone that I call my family," Aunt Alicia said to her.
Hermione positively beamed at this. "Thank you, Aunt Alicia; I could say the same for you too."
"Well, you know, Hermione, a little wedding invitation would suffice as a 'thank you'," Aunt Alicia grinned.
Hermione blushed furiously at this and gave Ava an accusing glare. Ava simply shrugged and gave Hermione a million silver sickle smile (equivalent to a million dollar smile but 1. They don't use dollars in Britain, and 2. They don't use muggle currency anyways).
Why, why, why? Hermione wondered to herself. This whole thing was supposed to be a secret, not for her whole family to know about! By Draco's standards this was probably secretive since his whole life was always on the papers these days. Not like her life was never on the newspaper, her professional life was always there, not so much her personal life. The whole of wizarding Britain still didn't know about how she and Draco started dating, let alone the fact that he proposed and she said yes.
Such joy, being famous. Hermione was split between deciding to invite her aunt, uncle, and cousins and make it known to her extended family or quietly invite them and tell them to not tell anyone else.
Hermione decided on the latter. She could tell the rest of her lovely family later. It was harder to take back something you said, unless the ministry would change the law on unofficial use of memory magic on muggles.
"Of course you're invited, Aunt Alicia," Hermione opened up her handbag and reached inside. It was almost in to about her shoulder before she found what she needed, courtesy of the undetectable extending charm.
"Oh goodie, this reminds me of my wedding," Aunt Alicia was holding onto Uncle Laurent's arm. If it wasn't for their ages, they could be easily mistaken for newlyweds, as Uncle Laurent gave his wife a warm smile.
Hermione couldn't help but smile at the PDA. She opened the wedding invitation card and writing started appearing on the card.
"Laurent Rosier + 4 Guests" it read on the front. Hermione quickly tucked it back into the envelop before here other relatives could see and handed it to Uncle Laurent.
The invitations that she and Draco gave out would automatically add on to the list of attendees that they kept at home. This was another of Malfoy Industries invention, modeled after the internet and the use of online spreadsheets.
Shit, Hermione mentally slapped herself. If Draco's home and he looks at the list, then I'll be so screwed. Dammit. It wasn't like she had a plan to tell him later, but she thought that maybe it would just work out and tell him as a joke when they all met up someday.
Malfoy Industries Main Office
Draco's IMO started to buzz.
Mione: Hey
Mione: Where r u?
Draco: At the office
Mione: Oh, ok, nvm
Draco: Where r u?
Mione: At the airport, we r about to get on the bus
Mione: I just got my suitcase… my cousin threatened to leave my suitcase behind if mines came last
Mione: So I mite've put a little charm on their suitcases so theirs wud come last
Draco: O.o how did u not get into slytherin?
Mione: I only learn from the best ;)
Draco smiled at his IMO again. This time, he was in his office so nobody could judge him.
Just then, there was a knock on his door.
"Hey, Draco, stop watching porn from your IMO, the screen's too bloody small, you'll ruin your eyesight," the unmistakable voice of Theo Nott drifted from the entrance. Trust Theo to be the type of person to knock and enter. He had already caught Draco and Hermione in many, ahem, compromising positions.
"Bloody hell, if I wanted to watch porn, I'd sooner buy that island Granger is going to and meet her there instead," Draco replied, still chatting with Hermione.
"Erg, lovebirds," Theo rolled his eyes.
"What do you want?"
"An explanation."
"What?" Draco looked bewildered; it had been a long time since Theo had said that to him. The last time was when Theo woke up with a nasty hangover and some, cough, interesting drawings on his face in Knockturn Alley after a night of partying with the Slytherins at Malfoy Manor. Oh, and Theo didn't have his wand at the time either.
"Well, mate, I don't know," Theo went on with a smirk on his face. "I saw something rather interesting on the wedding guest list. Who knows, maybe it's the name of my sister's father-in-law and 4 guests. Oh, I don't think so, I thought my best mate here said something about inviting all the close friends first and then the people that you don't know but have to invite anyways after."
Sure enough, the name "Laurent Rosier + 4 Guests" was on the list, the latest addition.
"Oh, and I also heard something about how my best mate was going to invite me right after he finished inviting all his other friends because in case he forgets any last person, that last person would be me. And I happened to be forgotten." Theo let out dramatic sigh.
"Geez, I know you're into blokes, but please don't act like Molly Weasley when her sons refuse to eat," Draco finally looked up from his IMO. "I guess that's Mione's invitation, not mines. You do know that Hermione is related to the Rosiers, right?"
From the look on Theo's face, Draco guessed he didn't know.
AN: Here's a longer(ish) chapter because I was gone for so long. I hope you guys like it! And yes, Theo is quite the drama queen.
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