CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Summary: Hermione's secret is discovered by The Order of the Phoenix. Before Harry is rescued, she needs to be first. But from who? With the help of Sirius she learns to put the past behind her, and with the help of two Weasleys, they show her a happy future. But Hermione isn't who she thinks she is, what she discovers will change her life for good. Rated M for a reason.
Disclaimer: All original characters and canon events belong to J.K. Rowling. Non-canon events are my own ideas. I am not making any profit from posting this fanfic.
Page count: 11
Hogwarts' Express - Friday 9th April 1997
Hermione was right; the last few months of school had been eventful. She was kept busy with preparing for end of year exams, helping Harry with ways to retrieve Slughorn's true memory, keeping Draco calm and on track with not only the task, but eating meals and doing his homework and on top of that, she had to deal with the rumours that she was getting married.
She knew that she would have to tell Ron and Ginny that she and the twins were getting married and Harry had come up with an idea that they' run past Sirius and he agreed that it was a stroke of genius.
So, during February, Hermione sat down with Ron and Ginny -much to her displeasure as she usually avoided the two Weasley siblings whenever she could- and they'd Ron and Ginny about the wedding, but seeing as Hermione didn't trust either of them to keep the wedding a secret, she'd told them the wrong date and venue. If it did end up spreading around school and reaching the ears of Voldemort, they would be completely safe. She was getting married three days after the start of the holidays, Monday 12th April on the grounds of the cottage that the twins had bought for them.
They'd told Ginny and Ron the wedding was to take place two days before they returned to school and at a Manor in London, when in fact the address led them to an abandoned warehouse, if Voldemort did send Death Eaters, there wouldn't be anyone they could harm for miles.
Hermione had praised Harry's thoughtfulness and he was right to be cautious, not even a week after Hermione had told them, it was spreading around school like fiendfyre. The amount of people that had come up to her asking about the wedding was ridiculous, she of course denied everything, stating that if she was to marry the twins, it wouldn't bloody well be during the middle of a war. Still, people talked.
To make things worse, Slughorn had accidentally given Ronald the bottle of elf wine she had slipped a mild poison into, it wouldn't kill, it just caused stomach cramps and vomiting. And when Katie Bell returned, Draco had completely lost his mind and Hermione had to stop Harry from cursing him with an unknown spell from that book that was always glued to him. It took her three hours to remind him that Draco was on their side and working for The Order and that he had to get used to him since he was family. He'd stormed off in a huff, returning hours later with a sheepish look on his face and a mumbled apology. She rolled her eyes and forgave him instantly.
But now, she was on the Hogwarts' Express, heading back to London and in less than three days she would be getting married.
She was currently sat in a compartment with Harry, Ron was off somewhere and she honestly didn't care where.
"So, you're getting married," Harry spoke with a small smile.
Hermione's face lit up. "Yeah, I'm getting married."
"How does it feel?"
"Strange, as a child I honestly never saw myself getting married, let alone at the age of eighteen," she shook her head. "But they make me happy, they make me forget about my past, they make me forget about my parents and when I'm with them, it's just us. There's no war, no Voldemort, no death, no darkness, just us. They don't treat me like everyone else. They've always been kind to me, they've already treated me as if I was special, long before we found out I was The Blue Mage. They're my mates, my equals, they're my future. I maybe would've liked to wait a little longer before getting married but we are in a war. Time is a luxury we don't have. This time next year we could be dead and I won't have had a chance to spend my life with the men I love. We have to take every opportunity that we have to be together."
"I'm sorry that you're life's turned out this way, Hermione," he looked down in shame.
"Oh, don't start with the pity party, Harry," she scolded. "Not everything is your fault. You didn't create the monster Voldemort is. You didn't force him into the dark arts, you didn't force him to become a murderer. You weren't even born for Merlin's Sake, neither were parents. You didn't ask to be The Chosen One. And you sure as hell didn't make me The Blue Mage. I was born that. I would still be The Blue Mage even if I hadn't met you. Nothing is your fault and the quicker you understand that and get rid of all this misplaced guilt, the better you'll focus and the happier you'll be. Now, don't talk to me, just sit there and think about what you've done." She stood and left to go to the bathroom, leaving Harry staring at the door in shock.
She made her way to the bathroom, she looked around before knocking on the door three times, before pausing and then knocking twice, followed by four knocks. She heard the door click and it opened, she slipped inside and closed the door behind her, locking the door and putting up a Silencing Charm as a precaution.
She reached out and when she felt the fabric, she gripped it and pulled, Harry's invisibility cloak was now in her hand, revealing a disgruntled looking Draco. It had taken a lot to convince Harry to let Draco use his invisibility cloak, but he agreed in the end.
"Why do I have to stay in the toilet? It's a seven hour train ride," he grumbled.
Hermione shrugged. "You didn't want to apparate with me, port keys can be tracked, I don't trust the Knight Bus and we can't floo, so the only option was for you to ride the train. Seeing as we told your mother that you had to stay at Hogwarts to continue working on the cabinet, you couldn't be seen otherwise they would know something was wrong. I was not leaving you there and you're not going to the manor, you're coming to Grimmauld and my wedding whether you like it or not."
He crossed his arms and pouted, though Hermione knew it was an act, he was grateful that she was including him in her life and family; she knew he would never admit it, but he'd grown close to The Weasleys, well, except Ron and Ginny of course.
"I don't have any dress robes."
"You don't need them, Sirius had a tailor make all of the robes and suits. Mrs. Weasley knew your measurements because she made you a jumper for Christmas. If they don't fit, they can be altered, we still have until Monday. I haven't even seen my dress, I just picked one out of a catalogue and Sirius ordered it for me. I have no idea if it's going to fit or if it'll fit right to my frame so I don't know what you're complaining about. And anyway, it was your choice to sit in the toilet, you could've sat with Harry and I, but you refused to be in a confined space with him. Well guess what, the twins and I will be away from Grimmauld for a week after the wedding, I won't be there to keep you two from killing each other, so you better be nice to each other."
"I hope Potter got the same speech."
"He did, he also got hexed for throwing a childish tantrum." He smirked at her. "Wipe that look off your face or you'll be walking to London," she glared and he gulped.
~000~000~000~
12 Grimmauld Place
When they arrived at the train station, there was a group of guards waiting for them. Tonks, Remus, Kingsley, Moody and Mr. Weasley. Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Ron and a still invisibility cloak clad Draco were all escorted to Grimmauld.
"Kitten," Sirius beamed when she jumped into his arms after walking through the door. He caught her and chuckled.
"I missed you."
"I missed you more. Those twins of yours have been doing my head in. How long till she gets here? Has the train arrived yet? I miss her!" he mocked and she laughed.
"Hey, we're men in love," Fred protested from behind Sirius.
He rolled his eyes and let her go and she was pulled into them, hugged between them as they gave her the usual greeting of peppering her face with kisses.
"Move out of the way," Mrs. Weasley barged past Fred and George and she only just remembered not to grab Hermione. She held her hand out and Hermione took it. "We have a wedding in three days and the bride hasn't even tried on her dress yet."
Hermione sighed as she was dragged away from everyone, Hermione mouthed 'help' over her shoulder as she was pulled up the stairs. They just laughed at her and she scowled.
"Wait for me!" Tonks called, rushing past everyone and running up the stairs, only to trip and fall up the stairs. "I'm okay," she groaned before running up the stairs. They heard a crash as she made her way onto the next floor. "Sorry!" she called. A smash! "I'll pay for that!" she yelled. They burst out laughing.
"It's good to have the house full again," Sirius commented with a fond smile. He then noticed Draco, since everyone else had convened in the living room.
"Hey, Kid, you look like you could do with a drink, are you seventeen yet?"
"Not till June."
"Ah, fuck it, I started drinking fire whisky when I was thirteen, come, let's have a chat," he clapped him on the shoulder and guided him to his study.
~000~000~000~
Monday 12th April 1997
It was finally the day of the wedding. Hermione had spent the night at Grimmauld and Sirius slept in her bed as Padfoot since her nightmares had returned without the presence of the twins. The twins had actually stayed at the cottage, since they weren't allowed to see her until she walked down the aisle. The rest of the Weasley men also stayed at the cottage - Charlie, Bill, Ron and Mr. Weasley, whereas Sirius, Harry and Draco had stayed at Grimmauld as her family and Mrs. Weasley and Tonks stayed to help her ready, Ginny kept to herself.
Hermione was stood in front of the mirror. She had ten minutes to accustom herself to the prospect of getting married and then she would be leaving for the cottage to get married.
She cocked her head to the side, taking in her appearance. Mrs. Weasley and Tonks had done a wonderful job, of that Hermione couldn't deny, they'd even stuck to her wishes of minimal makeup. Her eyelids had a silver shimmer, her lips a clear gloss and a dash of mascara to make her eyelashes longer and thicker.
Her hair was left cascading down her back in soft ringlets, her hair pulled back from her face. Around her neck she wore her necklace from Sirius and he had taken a trip to Gringotts to remove an heirloom for her. Of course Bill had to remove all the curses on it first but when it was safe it was simple and beautiful. It had been hard for Sirius to find something blue in his vault, given that most of the stones were emeralds, but he'd found managed to find a silver chain with a blue teardrop diamond that was currently resting around her neck. She no longer had to wear the glamour on her engagement ring and it sat proudly on her ring finger.
Her dress, it was simple and she thanked Merlin it didn't take a lot of altering. Her white dress fit to her curves before flaring out at the waist slightly and falling down to the floor. It had a sweetheart neckline with an embellished bodice; her lace sleeves fell down to her wrists and her dress was backless stopping just below her waist. Her veil matched the same lace pattern as her sleeves and a pair of silver heels completed the look.
Mrs. Weasley entered handing her the especially charmed silver roses and blue stephanotis flowers, her bouquet was completed with a blue-silver ribbon holding it together.
Mrs. Weasley and Tonks were crying before they even left for the cottage, leaving her with Harry, Sirius and Draco who all walked into the room at that moment and she was glad to see Harry and Draco tolerating each other.
"Whoa!" Harry and Draco muttered, staring at her with wide eyes.
Sirius rolled his eyes and made his way over to her, dressed in his all black suit and crisp white shirt, perfectly tailored and the best money could buy, she scrutinized it trying to figure out how much it had cost him but she decided to drop it, she would never understand Sirius' mind.
"You look beautiful, Kitten," he spoke softly and she beamed at him.
"Thank you, didn't I tell you you'd look dashing in your suit?"
He gasped, holding his hand up to his heart. "I look dashing in everything I wear." She rolled her eyes and chuckled at him.
She then turned to Harry and Draco, Harry's suit didn't surprise her, but Draco's did, he'd opted for the muggle attire rather than the dress robes. Their suits were identical to Sirius' and she couldn't help it when her eyebrow cocked in question.
"More expensive than the robes," Draco shrugged. "And you've got to admit, I look quite good."
She burst out laughing causing him to scowl.
"Alright, that's enough winding up the Malfoy Heir, it's time we got you married," Sirius spoke.
She took his proffered arm before he removed a port key from his pocket, which he assured her was untraceable, before they were whisked away.
~000~000~000~
The Cottage
Hermione landed and she barely had time to get her bearings before the wedding march was being played. Hermione didn't have any bridesmaids, what with there only being Ginny and she was not letting her be a part of the wedding, and Bill's newly revealed fiancé' who no one had met yet, but he'd brought her to the wedding under Hermione's orders to do so.
So instead she had Harry and Draco standing up with her. Harry walked down the aisle first, looking nervous and shifting uncomfortably, Draco strutted down the aisle as if he owned the world and she rolled her eyes at him. Now it was her turn.
"You ready, Kitten"
"Yeah, I'm ready," she breathed out.
"Hold tight, I won't let you fall."
Hermione nodded and they started their ascent down the aisle as she quickly took in her surroundings.
She could see the cottage off in the background but her curiosity would have to wait until later. Her eyes landed on the lake, the midday sun was shining down and the lake sparkled and rippled with the slight breeze. The aisle was a white carpet that would prevent her heels from sticking into the grass. Chairs sat on either side of the aisle, there weren't many people at the wedding, just The Weasleys except Percy, Harry and Draco, Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Dumbledore, Hagrid, Professors McGonagall and Snape and two people dressed in black robes that she didn't recognise since their faces were covered. She frowned but then shook it off. An archway of blue and silver flowers had been grown, likely thanks to Professor McGonagall and underneath it stood Professor Dumbledore in silver robes.
In front of him stood Fred and George, when their eyes caught hers they stared at her, their eyes wide and mouth open in shock. She giggled and Sirius chuckled, she'd never seen them speechless before. Charlie, their best man who was also dressed in a muggle suit, leaned over and whispered something into their ears. Their mouths snapped shut before they stood taller and the biggest smile she'd ever seen grace their faces appeared.
Merlin, they were handsome. Their red hair looked brighter under the sunlight, they'd had it cut, it was slightly shorter, but still covering their ears so that George wouldn't feel self-conscious about losing his ear, it was falling across their foreheads and as messy as ever. Their turquoise eyes were sparkling and the muggle suits they had opted for fitted them perfectly.
She couldn't remember Sirius handing her over to the twins or his kiss to her cheek and she couldn't remember Dumbledore starting the ceremony, as soon as her eyes locked on soon to be husbands, the world fell away and it was just them.
"Miss. Black?" she pulled her eyes away from the twins and looked at an amused Dumbledore.
"Sorry?" she spoke, causing chuckles to ring from the crowd. The twins smirked at her, their eyes alight with happiness and mischief.
"Your vows," he instructed.
"Oh, right, of course, sorry, I got distracted."
The crowd chuckled at her. She turned her attention back to the twins, her gaze locking with theirs.
"Fred and George, George and Fred. Most people see you as one entity, but I don't. I see you for your similarities and I see you for your differences. You've let me into your world, you've shown me something that you've never allowed anyone else to see and I am honestly grateful for that. You don't treat me as everyone else does, you're not afraid of me, of saying something disrespectful, you don't treat me as if I'm The Blue Mage, but instead a human being, a witch, just as I was when I was eleven years old, only now I have better hair."
They chucked.
"I can't even begin to tell you how much you've helped me, how much you've healed me and are healing me. You look at me and you don't see the damaged person I was, you don't see all the things that I've failed at or all the things I've achieved, but you see me, Hermione Black, just an ordinary witch that has a unnatural obsession with knowledge." She heard several snorts from the crowd. "You make me a better person. You make me want to be a better person. To make this world safe, to fight in a war just so that you're safe. That day you were attacked was the worst day of my life; I've never felt fear such as the fear of losing you and I never want to feel that again. I cannot stand the thought of being in a world where you are not. I want for you to always be in my life, I love you more than I ever thought possible."
She heard sniffles and tissues being passed around.
Dumbledore nodded to the twins, signalling that it was their turn to speak their vows, and Hermione prepared herself for the waterworks.
"We love you, it's as simple as that," Fred started. "And you're right, we let you into our little world, how could we not? We let you in because you're special, even before you were The Blue Mage you were an amazing person; a kind, intelligent, powerful witch. You're the only person that can tell us apart, the only person that treats us as if we're two separate people and we love that about you."
"We adore the way your nose crinkles when you're reading something you disagree with. We adore the way your eyes light up when you've found an answer to a problem you're having, or the way you throw your quill across the room when you're in a tiff. We adore the way you bite your lip to stop yourself from laughing at something you shouldn't be laughing at, or the way you snigger behind your hand when you can't contain it anymore. We even adore your violent tendencies, they've brought us a lot of amusement over the years." She scowled at George and he winked, making her expression soften.
"You make us better, you make us stronger, you even make us smarter. When we dated during school our grades improved just by being in your presence alone and we knew we couldn't let you go. That day we asked you to marry us, it was the most nerve racking thing we've ever done."
"And when you told us that you couldn't marry us because you didn't want to break our hearts in case you found your mates, well, our love for you only grew, you loved us so much that you were willing to let us go to protect us, that says a lot about a person, but we're selfish men and we couldn't let anyone have you. The elation we felt when you told us that we're your mates is indescribable and now the day has finally come, the day we've been impatiently waiting for, the day that you become our wife," Fred spoke with a soft smile.
"We love you, Hermione," they both said.
Hermione's tears were streaming down her face full force and she wasn't the only one, the sniffles of the crowd had turned into cries and she knew the culprits without having to look, Mrs. Weasley and Tonks, though McGonagall seemed to be a little choked up too, as did her soon to be sister-in-law, Fleur.
"Well then, let's not make these two young men wait any longer. Do you have the rings?" Dumbledore's eye twinkled and he sounded amused. The twins nodded.
"Fred, George, do you take Hermione Black, to be your lawfully wedded and magically binded wife, for life and death?"
"We do," they spoke without hesitation.
George took the wedding ring from Charlie, before slipping the silver band with diamonds and sapphires embedded into the medal, onto her finger in front of her engagement ring.
Hermione then turned and took the rings from Harry who winked at her. She gave him a teary smile and he chuckled.
"Hermione, do you take Fred Gideon and George Fabian Weasley, to be your lawfully wedded and magically binded husbands, for life and death?"
"I do," she spoke, before slipping their rings onto their left ring fingers. The rings identical to hers only with a thicker band.
"I now pronounce you bonded for life, you may now kiss your bride," Dumbledore spoke, his eyes twinkling at them.
It was George that pulled her to him first, he smiled down at her. "You look breathtaking," he muttered, before his mouth touched hers, their lips moving against each other.
When she pulled away she was crying again and he wiped away her tears, before giving her a chaste kiss and then moving for Fred to take his place.
Fred pulled her to him. "You really are the most beautiful woman in the world," he spoke, his eyes filled with nothing but love and joy.
She smiled at him and he leaned down and kissed her slowly, they seemed to get lost in themselves because they heard Dumbledore clearing his throat and George laughing.
They pulled back and smiled at each other.
"May I introduce to you, Messrs. Fred and George Weasley and Mrs. Hermione Weasley-Black," Dumbledore spoke proudly.
The crowd erupted into cheers and they stood. Hermione looked at Sirius and she saw him wiping at his eyes inconspicuously and she couldn't help smile at the sight. They made their way down the aisle and to the other side of the lake, where tables and chairs had been set up, a dance floor had been transfigured, musical instruments had been charmed to play and food was set out on tables. Hermione and the twins had decided on more of a buffet than a three course meal, that way they had all of their favourite foods and the food would be available until the reception ended.
Everyone chose their food and they made their way to the tables and they ate and chatted. When the time for the first dance came, Fred was the first to dance with her since George had taken the first kiss from the bride. They danced around the floor and when it was time, they traded off with Hermione dancing with George and the rest of the guests joined in. They had the speeches and Sirius' in particular had Hermione crying into his shoulder for a good twenty minutes, much to the amusement of him and the surprise of the others at the obvious care he had put into writing it. They partied until the sun set on the spring day and guests started leaving.
"Kitten, a word?" Hermione smiled, walking away from saying her goodbyes to Hagrid and McGonagall. They walked over to a table and sat down, whilst Mrs. Weasley and the other Weasleys helped to clean up. "You know what I want to talk to you about, don't you?"
She smiled and nodded. "Yes, I do. You don't have to worry, I'll be fine."
"You don't have to do it tonight, or at all."
"I know, I promise I'll be fine, besides, I expect it won't be tonight."
"What makes you say that?"
"They're careful around me, very careful. They don't touch me unexpectedly and they won't kiss me unless I give them my permission. They won't want to push me, look at how they've treated me, we've been together for a year and a half and they've never once expected anything from me. You should've seen Fred before I returned to school in January."
"Why? What happened?"
"Nothing really, just a bit of heavy snogging and he made me promise that I'd tell him to stop if I felt uncomfortable, he kept asking me every two minutes."
He chuckled. "Those mates of yours, they're good for you, and they treat you exactly the way you deserve to be treated."
"Isn't the father supposed to hate the boyfriend?" she asked amused.
"Well, they're not your boyfriends, they're you husbands. And even I can see they love you, they never shut up talking about you. So, you're sure you're alright, Kitten?"
"Yes, I am," she promised him. They stood from their chairs and she hugged him.
"Here comes Snivellus," he murmured and she hit his shoulder as she pulled away.
"Professor," Hermione greeted.
"Lovely wedding," he drawled, she rolled her eyes and then they landed on the two cloaked figures. They'd kept to themselves during the reception and hadn't really spoken to anyone. Snape noticed her staring.
"Forgive me, this is Agent Comet, I believe he was at your testing."
"Of course, it's good to see you again," she greeted politely. He held his hand out and Hermione eyed it before putting her hand in his, he bowed low over her hand but otherwise didn't make contact.
"You make a lovely bride, Mrs. Weasley-Black," he greeted.
"Thank you," she said shyly.
"And this is Agent Jugulae, he and Agent Comet are both spies for The Order and have been for a long time."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Agent Jugulae."
He held his hand out like Comet had and she put her hand in his, he bowed over it.
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, I dare say the Noble House of Black will once more flourish with you."
"I think Sirius is doing a great job so far," she replied, pulling her hand away.
"Have we met before?" Sirius asked, looking at both cloaked figures with a frown. "You seem familiar."
"Yes, we have met before," Agent Jugulae responded, though it sounded like he was suppressing a laugh. "And I agree with you, My Dear, Lord Black is doing a wonderful job of cleaning up The Black name."
Sirius continued to stare at them as if he were searching for something, thought she didn't know what, with their cloaks and hoods pulled, their faces were covered..
"Kitten, I think your husbands are waiting for you," he spoke, looking away from them and down at Hermione with a soft smile.
"That reminds me," Snape drawled. He put his hand into his robe pocket and pulled out a vial of blue liquid. "A Contraception Potion, we wouldn't want you getting pregnant, now would we?"
Hermione had to force down a blush.
"And why can I not just use a charm?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest.
"Since I stood and brewed this potion for four hours, that's why. We wouldn't want any accidents would we?"
"I suppose not," she muttered, reaching out to take the potion from him.
"Take three sips a day until you return to Hogwarts will work just fine."
"Thank you, Professor." He nodded. She turned to Sirius, "I'll see you in a week."
"I'll see you in a week," he agreed.
"Please don't let Ronald, Harry or Draco fight; I don't want to come home to missing limbs and broken furniture."
"I'll do my best," he chuckled.
She hugged him one final time. "I love you," she whispered.
"I love you too, Kitten."
If they were looking closely, they would see the smiles hidden under the robes of the two Unspeakables.
"Off you go, they're waiting, everyone else has already left and everything has been cleared away."
She smiled before she said her goodbyes and she made her way over to Fred and George who were waiting for her.
"Are you ready to see the cottage?" Fred asked, as he and George each took one of her hands and they started making their way towards the cottage.
"More than ready."