A.N./: Hey everyone I just wanna say thank you all so much for reviewing and you all were so sweet. I had no idea so many people would like this or would find it; but I guess that's what happens when you write about such a popular pairing ;). This chapter stars immediately after the previous one. I just wanna address some things real quick:
1: First and foremost I forgot to say that I don't own a lot of these characters but I am claiming the grandfather, his brothers and sister, the lawyer, the cousins, and a few other people as well as the majority of the plot; and I will be very upset with anyone who steals these things. "Swiper no swiping!" (I don't own that)
2: I know a couple people were a little worried about me starting so far back but I really wanted to talk about the title of nobility (which I have no real claim to) because it is very important to Hermione's first meeting with Minerva and it will almost constantly be brought up especially with the changes in Hermione, I have completely re-invented her for my manipulation.
3: What year do you all think Hermione and Minerva should get together? I won't accept any answer under fourth year but please leave your vote and comments in the review section at the bottom of the page; keep in mind this is a key aspect of the story.
My jaw felt like it hit the floor after the long list was read of with my name at the end of it.
"Were you close to your grandfather Miss Granger, I mean Your Grace?" the lawyer asked placing the sheet of paper back on the vanilla folder.
"No, I only met him once" I responded staring at the sheet expecting it too spontaneously jump up and smile like that Cheshire cat in "Alice in Wonderland" then I would wake up screaming with a knot on my head and it had all been a dream. But it didn't move, it was just paper, there was no smiling, it was just a somber will reading, hard, cold, bitter, reality.
"Actually you've met twice, the first time you were too young to remember, the day after you were born he came and gave you his blessing by kissing you on the forehead" my father intervened a dazed sound in his voice.
"Oh" the lawyer responds lamely, "any way I took the privilege of collecting the two safety deposit boxes and the keys, though the horse is still in its stable".
Henri and Isabella both reached forward and pulled the metal boxes into their laps opening them and peering in at their contents. The first reaction came from Henri and it was a short amused sounding laugh as he reached in and picked up an old woven leather bracelet with a single ink black word on it 'hermano'.
"I re-member dis, eht was dat time we all visi-ted Spain on a busy-ness trep for our father", Henri said, I knew he was speaking in English for my benefit but it was kind of painful to hear.
"Ear is mine as vell", Isabella added picking up an almost identical bracelet with 'hermana' written in the same ink as Henri's from her box. It was then that Louis exposed his left wrist with another almost identical bracelet as the others, with 'hermano' written on his in the same color ink.
"I nevar took mine of" Louis remarked still exposing his bracelet to his siblings.
Isabella, after staring at the bracelet for a few minutes, put hers back in the metal box and closed it with a clang and, before she allowed herself to rush away, looked at the floor while saying, "I vill sea you al at the gathering lay-ter", and with that she hurried out of the room with her box and was soon followed by Henri who carried his box with him and looked like he was about say something but instead closed his mouth and gave a solitary nod then continued through the now open door.
"I vould lik tu pick up Michael an is papar-vork as sewn as possy-bell if that is allright vith ew, Your Grace?" Louis asked still sitting on the couch next to me.
It took me several seconds to realize he was talking to me, "Oh I don't actually know anything about that…".
"I have the paperwork here already and I arranged for the horse to be prepared at the Gallanger House tomorrow for you to pick up at your leisure, My Lord" the lawyer intervened luckily.
"Tank ew, Monsieur Browning I re-get dat I nead tu gat ome tu may wife she ehs an impaytiont wo-man", Louis said then took the papers that Daniel handed him and kissed my hand saying, "I ook for-ward to seaing ooh a-gain, Your Grace" then Louis left and I was alone with my father and the newly identified Mr. Browning.
"I just need you to sign some things to transfer the properties into your name, Your Grace" Mr. Browning said picking up a briefcase and pulling out a collection of papers that were highlighted by a solar system of bright blue stars next to bold black lines; I imagined then for a second as dance partners waltzing together, twinkling in and out, bighting and dimming.
I looked up at my father and at his nod I took the blue ballpoint pen from Mr. Browning and I allow myself to be directed by his seemingly unstopping river of 'initial this' and 'I need you signature here, Your Grace' and 'Oh, Your Grace' and his 'print your name right here, Your Grace'.
But finally, and not a moment too soon, Mr. Browning said, "And that should be it".
"Sooo, now what?" My father asks watching Mr. Browning slide those treacherous papers back into his briefcase.
"Now, I go and file these into the international database, and you can do whatever you please, though I recommend you rest up in the Feuder House so you are ready for the gathering in three days time".
"Whoa, what 'gathering in three days time'?" my father asked looking slightly flustered.
"Weren't you told?" Mr. Browning asked worriedly and at my father's shake of the head 'no' Mr. Browning sighed and then began a string of apologies that I'm not entirely sure were all in English, "I'm so sorry again, I thought you had already been told. The gathering is to be held in the honor of Her Grace, The Duchess of Burgundy, at Her largest house which is the Feuder House in Avallon".
Before anyone could say anything else a tan woman with ebony hair pinned up and back wearing a silky black button long sleeved blouse with a grey skirt and patent leather black stilettos on her also tan feet and holding a calendar and sharp pencil, she speaks in a light French accent and I can tell she speaks in a lot of English, "Oh, are you done here Mr. Browning? I need Her Grace for her fitting for her gown for the gathering".
"Ah, yes her dress. Your Grace?" Mr. Browning asks motioning his hand towards the woman. I look to my father and he nods his head 'yes' while outstretching his hand for mine, together we walk towards the woman and in response she holds out her hand to me and I furrow my brow looking up at my father.
"Thank you Mr. Granger, I can take Her Grace from here" the woman states with a perfectly straight white smile.
"Oh I don't think s-" my father starts to argue but is cut off by Mr. Browning:
"Come now Mr. Granger, it is a woman's dress; a man has no business in those affairs".
"It is not 'a woman's dress' it is my little girl going off with a perfect stranger in a foreign country! And that is most certainly her father's business!" my father states irritated.
"If you would like you may wait outside the door while she is fitted but I'm afraid strict laws prohibit a man being in a room with a girl while she is undressing" the woman interjects.
My father seems to accept this and nudges me towards the woman and she takes my hand and all three of us make are way down the hallway to an open single dark wood door that has tall cream colored walls with an elevated circle platform in the middle. Off to the side, an elderly woman with white hair pulled back in a bun stood in a long dress, that and her small round gold glasses at the end of her nose made her look the spitting image of Mrs. Clause.
"Ight up der Your Grace" the old woman said in a heavy French accent pointing to the platform. I walked to it in a mystic awe after the first woman let go of my hand, before I got up onto it I looked back at my father to see him being shushed out of the room by the first woman.
The second woman gained my attention by taking my hand and helping me onto the platform, though I didn't really need it. The next thing she did caught me by surprise, she started to undress me! I mean the nerve of that woman. Seeing me start to move away the first woman said, from across the room, "It is her job Your Grace and she does it well".
So I allowed a total stranger to undress me down to my underwear and then I watched this woman evaluate me and sketch my silhouette onto a piece of parchment with a black colored pencil looking thing. She made remarks like, 'we will have to slick the hair' and 'well developed, for an eleven year old' but finally she asked a question that she actually expected me to, or even gave me time to, answer:
"What color dress Duchess?"
"I hadn't really thought about it…" I responded then I paused to really consider and apparently I had taken to long because the woman asked me another question:
"Well let's start with a color you don't want".
"Black, white, and any sort of cream are out of the question. Oh and absolutely NO yellows" the first woman answered.
Before the second woman could say anything I recommended blood red, I don't know why but it seemed appropriate being it was my grandfather's and my favorite color. To this the first woman scrolled down the clipboard with her finger and then told the second woman it would be fine.
"And accent color?" The second woman questioned while scrawling something down on the parchment where she sketched me.
"Her Grace should be wearing purple and gold to symbolize her new found royalty" the first woman said.
"Her Grace vill vear vhat she wants anyway she vants, it iz er par-tea aftar all" the second woman cut in.
"Thank you" I told the second woman sincerely.
"No prob-lem, Your Grace" the second woman said.
"Please, call me Hermione" I told her, getting sick of the "Your Grace's".
"If you insist, Hermione. I am Veronica Delwanger" Veronica said sweetly.
"May I call you Veronica?" I asked politely though I was quite sure I didn't have to ask.
"Of course Hermione, now your main color is blood red?" Veronica asked
"Yes like a ripe red rose" I responded
"And your secondary color?" Veronica asked again.
"Silver" I responded immediately.
"I think I can work with that" Veronica said smiling; then began the grueling process of the actual fitting.
A.N./: Real quick I put Hermione's ensemble up as my profile picture and don't forget to review