This chapter is dedicated to two girls named Lainie and Reasa, who are fun, hyper and super sweet. I just realized today how much I missed them and their little brother, Bryson, so this is in their honor. It has a few of their favorite things – lurve, dressing up, and therapy! (It's an inside thing.)
Disclaimer: I own only the plot and the wicked bachelorette party.
Weeks had gone by, months following afterwards. Remus and Hermione opened the shop after they came up with a few ideas. Sirius had gotten into Auror training with James, Marlene, and Lily. Peter was still at home with his mother, barely coming around except to ask somebody to make a Dreamless Sleep potion for him.
Remus was currently sprawled out on the turquoise couch, sighing as he stared at a pad of paper before looking over at Hermione, who was wearing a t-shirt and shorts and hanging off the orange chair. "Got anything?" he asked.
"Blood rushing to my head, but other than that – no," she admitted, "We need something."
"Yeah," he agreed, "What about…coffee?"
She wrinkled her nose, "How can we make a prank out of that?"
"I meant for us," he grinned as he stood up, stretching his back out.
"Oh," she hummed, "Coffee sounds marvelous."
He nodded and walked towards the kitchen, being detoured when three people Apparated in.
Marlene, Lily and Alice were all wearing some short-hemmed thing, Lily wearing white while the other two were wearing black.
"Hermione!" Marlene gasped, "You aren't dressed!"
"I beg to differ," she frowned back, "Otherwise Remus wouldn't be here."
"Damn, there go my hopes," he growled, making her lean her head up to glare at him as he grinned, "You love me and you know it!"
"You liar!" she called back as he headed back towards the kitchen.
"Seriously, go put on the shortest thing you have – we're having Lily's bachelorette party tonight."
"Really? Is it September already?" Hermione blinked.
"The wedding's tomorrow – I just thought I'd let you know," Lily snorted.
"But I don't have anything short – well, besides these shorts," she tugged at them, "And I'd kill myself before I walked outside in these. Also – it's September. I'd freeze."
"We're going to Florida," Alice grinned.
"Florida?" Hermione repeated.
"I thought we said Rio?" Marlene huffed.
"I could've sworn I said Vegas though," Lily said mildly.
"Why not do all of them?" Remus suggested with a grin.
"Yeah!" Marlene and Alice said excitedly as Lily paled.
"How about we just stick with Florida?" Hermione said tiredly, "Marlene, go rifle through my closet. Remus, hand me coffee."
"It's not done yet," he said as Marlene saluted and ran off with Alice to go find her something to wear.
"Why aren't you going out, Remus?" Lily asked.
"We had the bachelor party last Saturday," he shrugged.
"Is that when you had such a massive hangover the next day?" Hermione asked.
"Oh yeah," he grinned, "Best party ever."
"But Sirius rather kidnapped James and was babbling on about the wedding," Lily furrowed her eyebrows.
Hermione winced, "I might've told him the Muggle traditions for a wedding. He swore he wouldn't let anybody ruin it, and then the whole 'can't see the bride the day before the wedding' thing. He must've counted the hours."
"It's sweet, in a creepy, psychopathic way," Remus acknowledged with a smile.
"Hermione, get in here!" Marlene called, making her sigh and head out.
"I'll give you coffee when you come back!" he promised.
After a few moments, Lily frowned at him, "Remus, are you trying to kill Marlene?"
"What?" he blinked.
"She's been going off about how she wants to plan more weddings for us. Alice and Frank are next, and after that she's going to go into withdrawals. Why are you taking your time, Man?"
"Well," he fidgeted a little, "We just got out of Hogwarts, and things are rather busy with the shop and the inventing and things…."
"The shop is as slow as Filch on a rainy day, and according to your notes," she flipped through the notepad, "You've got squat. C'mon, what's the problem?"
"What if things don't go good, Lily?" Remus asked, running a hand through his hair in a very James-like fashion, "What if things are so bad that we both hate each other? I like having food at my apartment as well, and I like having her around."
"What if things are brilliant?" she whispered, leaning against the island with him, her green eyes flashing, "What if you fall madly in love with each other and get married and live happily ever after, the way you both want?" She stepped back, "'What if' is a dangerous game, Remus. You can have your way, and I can also have mine. You know what I said, before I dated James? What if this is all some kind of joke? What if he actually likes me? What if I'm just another girl? What if I could be happy? And you can see which one I took. Hermione won't make the first move and you know it. If you want it, then go for it. Or else I'll set her up with a guy from work."
"You wouldn't," he glared before smirking, "You love me too much."
"Alright, so I do – but she isn't exactly off-limits to other guys."
Remus opened his mouth to retort to that, but stopped when they both turned their attention to Hermione. Marlene and Alice had lent her one of their little black dresses that had been 'Accio'ed to her apartment. Her hair was pulled up to flow out of a ponytail, her makeup done simply. She was currently barefoot, holding out a heel and a Converse.
"Which one is more acceptable?" she asked, offering the shoes to Lily.
"Converse – we're going dancing," she answered, making Hermione drop the heel.
"Dancing?" she repeated, "I can't dance! You all know I can't dance!"
"Oh relax – a little bit of alcohol in you and you won't even care!" Marlene laughed.
"Remus, you might want to shut your mouth, you're beginning to drool a bit," Alice whispered to him, pretending to be fixing something in front of him.
He quickly shut it, whispering "Thank you" back to her.
"Alright, how about I'm the designated – " Hermione began.
"Nope! You are having at least five drinks!"
"But I don't drink!"
"You do tonight!"
"I don't drink and I don't dance, you all know that and yet – "
"So you're dull?" Remus asked, setting the coffee out to her.
She glared at him but took it anyway, "I am not dull."
"Well, drinking and dancing are exciting activities, and you do the exact opposite, so…dull," he shrugged, "It's okay – we love you all the same."
"I'm not dull!" she huffed before going back to her room, taking the shoes with her.
"And that's the story of how I got Hermione to drink and dance," he grinned, "You're welcome."
Marlene grinned back, "Thanks. She's too tight. I love her, but c'mon."
"I heard that Marlene McKinnon!" she called before walking back, putting on earrings, "So, Remus, I was thinking, and I thought about bridal gags. Like, flowers that go on the center of the table and steal silverware from the guests and fling it back at them."
"Wait until I'm married to sell that," Alice frowned before glancing at Remus, who grinned back.
"I'll start working on it," he said, "And maybe something like invitations that ramble on and on before yelling out that the couple is getting married?"
"Oh I'd throw that away and never know," Lily snorted.
"Charm to stick it to the person so they can't?" Hermione asked.
"Definitely," Remus grinned, "And what about a bouquet that floats?"
"Great!"
"Okay, this is boring, let's go," Marlene said, hooking her arm through Alice's, "Night Remus, we'll see you tomorrow!" And with a wave, they cracked away.
Hermione sighed, "This is going to be a long night."
"But you won't remember half of it, so it'll be shorter," Lily grinned before waving goodbye to Remus, "Night, have fun with your bouquets!"
"That sounded weird!" he yelled before they left.
"Who came up with disco?" Lily huffed as she swirled the straw around in her drink, "They really need to be shot."
Hermione laughed, "Marlene and Alice don't seem to think so."
"Bless their hearts – don't know what real music sounds like," she sighed, "Remind me to get them an Aerosmith tape."
The two were perched at a table, two empty seats revealing that Alice and Marlene were currently dancing. The room had lights going off, green and pink and blue and all of these other colors, in time to whatever song was playing.
"So…" Lily hummed, "What else to talk about between two sober friends?"
Hermione snorted, "I'm just glad Marlene and Alice don't really know what a virgin Cuba Libre is."
"What is it?" Lily inquired as Hermione raised the glass to her lips.
"Rum and Coke without the rum," she grinned. After she took a sip, she exclaimed, "I mean, I love you and all, but I'm not going to destroy my liver."
"So you're just going to attack the kidneys then?"
"That's my plan."
Lily chuckled before sighing, "I just can't wait to see you, Marlene, and Alice all walk down that aisle."
Hermione paused for a moment before turning to her with raised eyebrows, "Err…we'll be doing that at your wedding, Lils."
"I mean separately, and going to your own wedding," she rolled her eyes. "And besides, I won't see you. I'm at the end of the line, remember?"
"But you can watch us from the doors! Make sure our butts look good and all that," she grinned as Lily wrinkled her nose. "Because, c'mon – that's what the lazy people who don't want to turn around are going to see."
"Have you seen the dresses yet?" Lily asked.
"Ahh – no," she winced, "I've been working with Remus on the shop. April was terrible, because of everybody wanting to get something on April Fool's Day, and then Fred and George…."
"When was their birthday?"
"April first!" Hermione snorted, "It fit so well too. Oh, and Molly Weasley had her twins, who she asked if she could name after the two ding-a-lings. They were born on their birthday."
"Wow," Lily blinked, "That almost seems like a coincidence."
Err…sure, yeah, she thought to herself, "Yeah, and the next thing you know they're going to go around pranking Hogwarts and destroy the boys' reputations."
"We never did much pranking, did we?"
"Got pranked on, yes, but we never actually did it," Hermione said thoughtfully with a glance to her hair.
"Hermione, remember what you said when we graduation and you met Trevor?"
"Yeah," Hermione sighed, "And Marlene has been poking at me about it. I just – I'm not ready. I've got to make the shop a success for Fred and George or else I'll feel like I've failed, I've got to have a social life with my friends who suddenly seem like they want to go off and leave me, and I want to help with the war in some way, but I don't know how yet. Once things go great for the shop and the war is over, maybe I'll think about settling down. And besides – I'm at my prime here! Fresh out of school! I love you Lily and I'm happy for you, but I really don't want to be tied down. And besides, you're marrying James freakin' Potter – that's hardly tying you down."
"Hermione, I'm not talking about settling down and having three little kids and a white picket fence. I'm talking about being happy."
"Maybe I am happy," she huffed.
"Oh please – you're worried over the shop, you're worried over us, you're depressed about Fred and George, you're worried about things you and I don't even know about. And it's absolutely not your fault – we all have those same problems. But we're picking ourselves up with people we love. Alice has Frank and I've got James – and I'm thinking that Sirius is going after Marlene soon."
"Why don't you go bug at Remus and Peter then?" she crossed her arms and legs, "They're single too – oh. Bloody hell, Lily, you didn't tell him, did you?" She was suddenly gripping the edge of her seat and leaning towards her, "Oh Merlin, please tell me you didn't."
"I didn't – but Merlin I want to. You could be happy, Hermione!"
Hermione stared at her Coke before answering, "Lily, I'm terrified. I'm terrified he doesn't feel the same, I'm terrified about actually dating somebody, I'm terrified that somebody's going to hurt him – and I'm terrified that that person might be me. I'm just – I'm hardly being a Gryffindor here. Maybe I would've been better off in Ravenclaw or something."
"Oh no you wouldn't," she argued, "You belong in Gryffindor. And besides – the people in Ravenclaw are extremely dull…except for Xeno Lovegood, he's just a touch bit weird."
Hermione laughed, "Thanks. I just – " she sighed " – I don't know what to do."
Lily thought about it before relenting, "Just ignore us all and do what you want. You've only got one life – live it how you want to."
"I just want to say – please get comfortable, this is going to be a long, sappy speech," Sirius grinned at the crowd before turning and raising his glass to Lily and James. "You two belong together. And you both know it, so why am I telling you? Because marriage is one hell of a rollercoaster – please ask your Muggleborns what that is – and you're going to go up and down and you might even forget that. But we won't let you. We care too much about you crazy kids. James, I always knew you would get the girl before me – and now you owe me ten Sickles."
"Liar," he hissed back, but let him continue.
"Lily – you're still the little girl who stood up for her friend on the train to me. But now you've got all of these amazing, wonderful people to stand up for. And even that idiot, sitting right to your left, you're going to stand up for him too. Because that's what you do. And then there are going to be little Lela-ettes and Prongs-lettes running around and then you're going to stick up for them too. Because you are such a nice freaking person. I actually thought you'd go into Hufflepuff, but you proved me wrong, didn't you? I wish both of you many memories, true love, and yadda yadda, blah blah blah – let's drink!"
They all laughed and raised their glasses to the happy couple before drinking with him.
"Hermione, your turn," Marlene said.
"What?" she blinked.
"Didn't we tell you?" Alice asked, her eyebrows high, "You're the maid of honor!"
"No, you didn't tell me that!" Hermione hissed, "What am I supposed to do?"
"Make something up," Marlene shrugged.
"Oy, Granger – would you like to share with the rest of the class?" Sirius asked, still standing, "C'mon, stand up and have everyone stare at you."
Hermione did as she was asked, smoothing down the dark red dress that was shaped like a rose, "Well – err…everybody else rather forgot to tell me that I had to write a speech. I didn't even know I was the maid of honor until two minutes ago."
"Oh no," Sirius tried to stop laughing, "You still want me to sit down?"
"Yes – you're way too talkative once you get started. Sit," she ordered, walking forward and wincing, "Err…let's see….Lily, James, I don't know how, but you haven't killed each other yet. Okay, that's hardly appropriate here. Umm…." She looked pleadingly at the two, who were grinning at her, "You two are right prats, you know that?"
"Make it come from the heart," James said, "Padfoot kept practicing his over and over again. Be spontaneous."
"You're talking to me here!" she huffed before sighing, "Okay. Lily, you're my best friend and I wouldn't know where I'd be without you in my life. You always tell me what I need to hear, and not always what I want. James, I want you to look after her and make sure that she doesn't get herself killed with that Lily-ness. Lily, watch after James and make sure he doesn't start a row with – I dunno – the Whomping Willow's cousin or something. James, you're like another big brother to me, you always look out for me and I'd probably be dead twenty times over – not," she glanced out at everybody who started to look at them funny, "like I'm talking about major action scenes here, I mean like – like saving me from the Giant Squid. By the way, it likes the color blue, just for future knowledge. I hope you have all the happiness in the world bestowed upon you, may all your wishes come true, and I hope that everything goes right for you. And oh – I don't want to be 'Aunty Romy' I wanna be called 'Aunty Minnie' or something along those lines." She grinned as Lily blushed and James tried to keep from laughing as she raised her glasses and gave a little bow, "To Lily and James!"
Everyone did the same, smiles on their faces before she froze, her eyes on something at the door. The glass slipped from her hand and shattered on the ground as everybody behind her gasped or gaped. The people facing her turned and practically recoiled as the white figure in the black billowing robes walked towards her.
"I agree," Voldemort said with a smile, picking up a glass from a nearby table, "To the Potters." He took a sip before raising it to Frank and Alice, the latter of whom had been hidden behind her boyfriend. "To the Longbottoms." Another sip before turning to Sirius. "The black sheep of the Blacks." Another sip and turning to Remus as Marlene edged into a corner. "The Lupins as well." He raised it slightly to Marlene, "McKinnons." His eyes locked on Hermione, her pose still fixed as she watched him get closer and closer, "And lastly, to one Miss Hermione Granger."
"What do you want?" James practically growled, stepping up next to Hermione as his mum tugged Lily away and out of sight – but with their eyes still on James.
"To congratulate you on your new marriage," Voldemort smiled and sat the glass down, "And to offer you and your wife something that you would be fools to refuse."
"Hope it's only a gym membership," Sirius said, stepping next to James and crossing his arms over his chest. Remus moved silently to Hermione, taking her arm and using it to move her slightly behind him.
"You'd make excellent Deatheaters," Voldemort said simply, looking up at James curiously as he blinked in shock, "Your skills are superb."
"Like hell we will," James growled, "You seem to forget just exactly what my wife is, what a few of my best friends are, what the people you KILLED were!"
"Oh, you mean Mudbloods?" he picked at lint off his robe, flicking it away dully, "No, I haven't forgotten. It's rather hard to forget after so much consideration, after all."
"You can go to hell, where you'll more than likely end up," James said, sticking his chin up in defiance, "And that goes for me, my wife, and all of my friends."
Voldemort hummed, "You'll regret it. Now, as for you, Miss Granger – " he got out his wand, making Remus, James and Sirius hiss and move to cover her, but she was being tugged down the steps to stand in front of him, " – Why are you so important?"
"L-leave me alone," she demanded, fidgeting as he began to circle her. Of all the days to not have a place for a wand….
"You know something – what, I don't know, you wouldn't quite blab – " he eyed the scar and she quickly moved to hide it from him, "Something that could be a big snag in my plans. Not a major setback, seeing as you are such a little girl."
Her eyes flashed and she faced him, her head high as she glared at him, "I am not a little girl."
"No, you see, you are," he smirked and waved his wand, having her gasp and straighten, "Just a little girl with little curls in a little dress on her little imaginary friend's wedding day. You know something that could make me lose a few of my most trusted Deatheaters in the future. However, I don't know what you know, so I don't know which ones I will lose. So you'll live for now." He flicked his wand and she crumpled to her knees, blood dripping down her left arm, "Matches with your dress, doesn't it?"
"You son of a - !" Frank got out his wand and was about to cast a spell before he laughed and Apparated away.
"Oh Merlin," Marlene hissed, running a hand through her hair, "Oh Merlin."
"Hermione, are you okay?" Sirius asked as he shoved James towards Lily, he and Remus kneeling down to her.
She took away the hand that was covering the scars, giving out a short breath at the blood before replacing it, "I'm fine."
Remus grabbed a napkin off the table, reaching out and binding it, "I just don't get it. He and Bellatrix both think you know something, but everybody hasn't got a clue. Although, if you do know, I doubt you'd tell. And we admire you for it."
"Barmy ol' guy – why on Earth would James and Lily ever join him?" Sirius scoffed.
"Here, move," Alice moved Remus away and pulled a little vial out of her purse, putting a few drops on her bandage. Once she was done and Hermione had thanked her, she sat back on her heels and sighed. "So much for the perfect wedding, hmm?"
"Well, the wedding was perfect," Frank sighed, "It's the reception that went to pots."
Marlene rushed over to Hermione, twisting a few strands of the girl's hair as she checked over her appearance, "Good, you're alright. Look – I need to go. I just – have to…."
"Go, Marlene," Remus urged her. She smiled at him before popping away.
Hermione gripped onto Sirius' arm and hoisted herself into a standing position, wincing and trying not to hiss. She turned and saw that Dumbledore was talking to Lily and James in a corner, McGonagall making her way over to them.
"I would like to talk to you five in private, if you please," she said before leading them to a room off to the side. She cast a few charms before turning to them. "Professor Dumbledore is talking to the Potters about this already, but there is an organization to take down the Dark Lord. We didn't dare ask you this at Hogwarts, as you were still considered as children, but now you're adults and are free to make your own decisions."
"Where do I sign?" Sirius asked, arching an eyebrow at her. She nodded at him with a small smile.
"We're in too," Alice said, Frank behind her with his hands on her shoulders, nodding.
"I'll do whatever it takes," Remus answered.
"I'm in," Hermione said before Remus turned to her.
"Oh no you're not."
"What?" she seemed to bristle at that, "And why not?"
"Because you're the one who always seems to get hurt, that's why," he answered, "You're not going."
"All of my friends are joining – why can't I?"
"If all of your friends jumped off a bridge, would you do it?"
"Yes, because I couldn't stand being alone without them!" she hissed back. "Remus John Lupin, you are not the boss of me. You heard her – I'm free to make my own decisions, and I decide to join – er, what's it called?"
"Order of the Phoenix," she answered.
"And I decided to join Order of the Phoenix," she huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at her.
"Larkspur was right – you really are stubborn. I feel real jealous of the one who you don't act like this to – it must be a picnic," he said before turning around and walking out, shutting the door behind him.
"You are the one, you idiot!" she yelled back.
"He didn't hear that," McGonagall told her after a few silent moments.
"That's what I was counting on," she sighed sadly, picking up the skirt of her dress and sighing again at the fabric.
Hermione sighed as she picked the bobby pins out of her hair, shaking her head to get the curls to release their hold and fall down her back. Her face was stripped clean of makeup and she'd changed into a white tank top and jeans, packing away the rose dress. She looked down at her toes and grimaced, knowing that she'd have to paint them soon. She looked back up at the mirror, running a hand through her hair before she picking up a pill bottle.
"Do not take two…" she muttered to herself before setting it back down. She looked back at the mirror and gasped before turning around.
Remus was leaning against the doorway, rubbing the back of his neck and looking between her and the floor. Once he finally saw that she wasn't going to speak, he looked up and locked eyes with her, his mouth open as if ready to speak but finding that no words were coming out. He just looked at her, defeated.
She carefully walked towards him, making him stand up straight as she got closer. She wrapped her arms around his torso and laid her head against his chest, closing her eyes and trying to forget the day. He pulled her in closer, setting her chin up on his shoulder and burying his face into her hair.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled to her.
"I know," she whispered back, taking to hiding her face in his neck. "I'm sorry too."
"I know."
Don't yell at me for having Voldemort in there. I did that in another story and people yelled at me. Tcht. It's MY story, so shut up, right? Anyway – umm…yeah…Let's see – September, then let's jump over to Remus' birthday next chapter, huh? Okay, sounds cool. See ya then!
Also – Happy New Year! (And thanks for all the early birthday wishes – you guys made me smile.)