Chapter 3: The Weasley Wedding
It was the middle of July and they were all sitting at the table eating lunch when an owl arrived with three letters. The letters, written on fancy white scrolls, were addressed from Molly Weasley and demanded that the trio come at once to the Burrow to help with Percy's wedding, for the rehearsals and fittings and then the big event itself. Sirius, not a particular favourite of Molly Weasley, was not invited...not that he could come even if he were. There would be too many extra-familiar people coming for the wedding, and to their minds, Sirius Black was still a dangerous mass murderer on the run from the law. There was no way he could attend a wedding. Not even as a dog, though try telling that to a worked up Hermione in full Sirius Black Society mode. It was like S.P.E.W. all over again or S.P.E.W 2.0. She had barely read her letter and then read Harry's and Ron's before a frown formed on her face as her quick mind perceived a grave injustice.
"I have to say Ron, I am greatly disappointed Molly should fail to invite a fellow Order member to her son's wedding. Everyone else in the Order has been invited except Sirius. He could easily have come as a dog, instead of being so rudely excluded, without so much as a mention. I'm surprised her lack of tact has not cost her more guests!"
Ron turned a bit red in the cheeks; he did not look like he appreciated criticism of his mother.
"Are you honestly saying Hermione that my mum should've invited a dog to my brother's wedding?"
"He's not a dog!" Hermione shot an apologetically look at Sirius. He looked back at her with a half-hearted smile.
"No but how exactly is she going to write an invitation list with a dog on it, I think that would raise a few eyebrows!"
Hermione huffed in exasperation."For Merlin's sake, Ron! Of course, she wouldn't write him on the invitation list. But she could've just wrote Sirius a letter, which she didn't, telling him he could come as someone's pet."
"Who brings a mangy dog to a wedding?!"
Hermione looked like she was about to explode, so Sirius intervened before the situation got any worse. Incidentally, he didn't blame Hermione for being short tempered with Ron; the Weasley boy had no tact at all, much less than his mother. Mangy dog? He had never been so insulted, and right to his face, though Ron acted like Sirius wasn't even there as he said it. The boy hadn't a trace of good manners. Still he didn't want Hermione getting in fights with anyone over him, especially not with the fiery Weasley matriarch during a wedding. Things would be high-strung enough as it is.
"Don't make me laugh, it's not as if this mangy dog actually wants to go to the wedding..." Sirius said.
He stole a glance at Hermione. She didn't look convinced, she saw through his attempt to pacify her. He needed to say something more to convince her, something that would transfer her anger from the Weasleys onto him.
"...Matrimony has never been my cup of tea, if you catch my drift. I'd rather take the old dog to hit up a few bars while you kiddies go off to the wedding ceremony for the end of Percy's freedom." As a finishing touch, he added a wink. Harry and Ron grinned at Sirius, as if saying, You go get em', old man.
Bingo. Hermione looked furious but she tried to contain it.
"Sirius," Hermione said through gritted teeth as if she were speaking to a misbehaving toddler, "You can't just go to a bar, you'll risk being caught by the ministry and put behind some real bars!"
"Who said I'd stay in this country? I can easily slip across the channel and go to a pub in France, it's where all the attractive women are anyways."
Harry and Ron laughed.
Hermione's face reddened. She dropped the issue completely.
For the next few days, if Hermione had any anger left about the wedding, she directed it to Sirius rather than to Ron or Molly Weasley.
Sirius hadn't meant to make her so angry at him, he just wanted to diffuse the situation. He didn't really think "weddings are a bunch of bollocks", though that had become his catchphrase over the last few days. It had made Harry and Ron snigger, but not Hermione.
She puffed out her chest and her mouth became a firmly set line whenever Sirius made jokes of how Percy had consigned himself to a life of servitude to 'the hussy that him by the balls'.
Sirius merely wanted Hermione to not feel sorry for him and his exclusion from the wedding. He did not want to get her so angry at him yet Hermione's parting greeting to him before they left was an accusing: "I hope you enjoy yourself Sirius".
Somehow he knew he wouldn't.
And it isn't just because she was angry at him.
Because she would be gone.
.
.
.
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A/N: Naughty Sirius but he's only trying to make Hermione not feel sorry for him!
This chapter was short so I'll be posting two longer chapters tommorow ;) Thanks for reading!
By the way in case anyone is not familiar, the english "channel" is the little strip of the atlantic ocean that seperates england from france! Its easily crossed since all of europe is pretty small compared to other continents. Also dont hate sirius too much for that silly joke about french women, he's doesnt mean it tho its a common joke :(
xoxoxo
:)