"Oh, you two look fantastic together. I won't say 'be happy' or anything so trite because I'm sure you will be. I'm just so excited for you both!"

Hermione hugged her newly married best friend.

"Hermione, Pansy has a request," Ron asked somewhat urgently.

Well, this would explain why they had asked her to stay after the rest of the wedding party had left. Hermione had thought it was just recognition of her close relationship with Ron. She had assumed Harry would have stayed as well had he not been worried about his heavily pregnant wife over-exerting herself with the wedding celebrations. Hermione looked to the dark-haired woman enquiringly. Surely she wasn't jealous? Anyone could see the love in Ron's dynamic blue eyes when he looked at his wife was remarkably different to the comfortable affection they held when he looked at Hermione.

"Please, Hermione, I know we perhaps haven't been friendly long enough for me to start requesting favours–"

Hermione made to shush Pansy and reassure her that she would do anything for the wife of her best friend.

"No, no. This is really asking a lot of you; I want you to go to Cythera and tell them about my and Ron's marriage."

"You want them to know?" Hermione questioned a little warily.

She had been completely taken by surprise by Ron's announcement only a few days ago that he and Pansy were to marry. After all, there had certainly never been any love lost between Ron and any Slytherin during their time at Hogwarts. And hadn't it been assumed that Pansy was going to marry Draco?

While there had been no official announcement of an engagement or imminent wedding, everyone expected Pansy and Draco to marry – Pansy herself had admitted that 'everyone' had included Draco himself. However, she had other ideas herself. Draco's and Pansy's parents might have arranged their offspring's betrothal amongst themselves, but Pansy insisted that she had absolutely no intention of being driven into a cynical marriage of politics and convenience after she and Ron had fallen so quickly and deeply in love, when Hermione had questioned her over the issue.

"Of course I want them to know. I have nothing to hide!" Pansy answered, tossing her hair proudly.

Looking at their elated faces, Hermione acknowledged that she envied Ron and Pansy their confidence. And their shared love. It was quite plain that they were totally besotted by one another, regardless of how implausible anyone who had seen them at Hogwarts would have thought the current situation. While she was genuinely happy for Ron, she couldn't help but think of what could have been. Especially now, with Harry and Ginny also married. She was the only single one of the trio left.

Despite their best efforts and the expectations of their friends and family, she and Ron just hadn't worked out. It was a mutual decision that they were just too different, and while these differences worked to form a close friendship, it was an entirely different story romantically speaking. Still there was just the tiniest bit of residual hurt at seeing the pride beaming off his face as he looked at Pansy. Ron was a man now, Hermione remembered, and not the lanky, irresponsible yet charming boy she had grown up with. The last thing she wanted to do was go to the tiny principality of Cythera, but Ron was looking at her beseechingly, and – as always – she couldn't bear to let him down.

"It's all right, I know that you and Draco don't get along," here Pansy rolled her eyes at Ron as he pulled a sour face, "but you needn't worry. He's currently away in Switzerland on business. It's just that when he gets back he will be expecting me to be there, and I feel I owe him an explanation."

Hermione was slightly stung at Pansy's inference that she couldn't stand up to Draco, and told her fiercely, "Pansy, you don't owe that… 'man' anything. Nothing at all. If he had his way–"

Pansy stopped her, smiling slightly. She tilted her chin proudly, which unfortunately made her pug nose look even shorter than it actually was.

"I want everyone to see how much I love Ron and how happy I am to be his wife – particularly Narcissa. But Draco must be informed. I know you two don't like him," Pansy looked between the two, who wore matching grimaces, "and with good reason, but Draco has never done me any harm."

Hermione's heart melted as she looked across at Ron and was reminded again of the almost maternal sense of responsibility and great deal of sisterly love she felt for him. It was no wonder that they hadn't worked out romantically between them! Nonetheless, Hermione was delighted to see him looking so content (the look on his face eclipsing even the look he had after the sorting feasts at Hogwarts). His love for Pansy, regardless of the sudden nature of its realisation, had given him a maturity that he had previously lacked.

Hermione had had her concerns about Ron recently. Well, perhaps it was more accurate to say that her concern had been heightened; specifically where his work was concerned. Indeed, if she were to be honest...

But she was not going to dwell on the past, or even tell him off for not confiding in her about his relationship with Pansy. She was far too happy for him to do that, he had his future to think about now.

Happiness for Ron and Pansy not-withstanding, mention of Narcissa has awoken some very unpleasant memories for Hermione… Oh, yes! Narcissa! Hermione's brown eyes suddenly took on a certain steeliness not usually associated with their usually warm colour.

"Hermione, There's no one else I can ask to do this for me." Pansy stated logically. "No one else I could trust… My friends would only plot with Narcissa to break this up. They first need some time to accept the idea of my being a Weasley now. Ron's brothers are either busy with their own families or lack the maturity and understanding. Ginny's pregnant. Harry would simply storm in, shout loudly and hex everyone in the place if they moved even an inch," Her eyes gleamed knowingly, "And there's certainly no one else who understands just how things are with Draco. If you would just go there for me and inform Narcissa… so that she can tell Draco."

The very mention of Narcissa was enough to raise some really quite twisted and tempting thoughts in Hermione's mind. She wasn't a naïve nineteen year old any more, she reminded herself. She was now a mature, confident and successful woman; a well respected economist, working free-lance as a financial journalist for Sickles and Knuts. Furthermore, she had an extra eight years of reading and researching hexes and curses in her leisure time behind her now.

A plan to embarrass Narcissa as much as she had humiliated Hermione already forming in her mind, she made a token effort to refuse, but Pansy remained stubbornly insistent that Draco, His Serene Highness, ruler of the principality of Cythera, had to be told that his prospective bride had instead chosen to marry the man who had been their childhood nemesis. And delivering this news by owl would quite apparently not be sufficient.

Hermione ruefully admitted that there was a large part of her that could not help feeling a certain degree of triumph in being chosen to carry the news to Narcissa that the chosen wife for her son was not going to meekly accept Narcissa's plans for her. It all just seemed to fall into place…

"Please, Hermione." Ron asked her, his blue eyes pleading.

…And for Hermione it was decided. Just like that.

A/N: Hopefully as this progresses the chapters will get longer, but I'm updating now to say thanks to my first- and for the moment favourite ;) reviewer Eva1983 Wow. You have inspired me!

Also, for those who are interested, Cythera (Kithira) actually exists. It's a small island of the coast of Greece. Fictional Cythera bears no resemblanceto actual Kithira (that is to say in reality it's not actually an all-wizarding principality ruled by the Malfoys).