On with our future!

Hermione contacts her parents. Letters good and bad arrive. Tragedy strikes! Plans change!

Hermione sat down the next day, took a deep breath and wrote to her parents. She knew there wasn't any easy way of breaking the news that their daughter had been earmarked for marriage to the follower of a maniacal tyrant. Especially as the follower hadn't exactly asked permission BEFORE he earmarked her!

She simply explained the situation as clearly as she could, emphasizing the importance of the marriage taking place the summer before she went back for her seventh year of school. She made it plain that she was going to able to get higher learning if she wished to. Her husband to be had already agreed and actively encouraged it. That little tidbit was added to let her parents know Thorfinn KNEW she wanted to go on to university after Hogwarts.

She told them he was looking forward to meeting them and looked forward to introducing them to HIS parents. Harry had met him and given his wary approval. They would like to come visit on one of her Hogsmeade visits. She sealed the letter and went to find Harry. He walked to the Owlery with her to find Hedwig and send her letter.

"How bad is this visit likely to be, Hermione?" he asked. She sighed and shook her head.

"They wanted me to be completely out of school and already starting a career before I even had to consider marriage. So this is not likely to be a good visit. They'll be telling both of us how much of a mistake we're making, marrying so young! They'll approve but only because they know how stubborn I am. I'll marry with or without their approval. I'd much sooner have their approval, though, and they know that." She ran her fingers through her hair. They walked into the Great Hall, joining their classmates at the Gryffindor table. No sooner had they sat down than a flood of owls came in with the morning mail. Hermione watched as two gorgeous eagle owls glided to a halt in front of her. One had only a letter and left as soon as she took it. The other had a letter on one leg and a package on the other.

The letter turned out to be from Narcissa Malfoy.

Dear Miss Granger,

I'd like to introduce myself. I am Narcissa Malfoy, Draco's mother. I have been appointed by the Dark Lord as your wedding planner. I hope that isn't going to be a problem for you. Normally as you know, the father of the bride has the final approval of every decision made by the planner. However, this is a special case.

The Dark Lord, along with our dear Professor Snape, will be making all of the final decisions concerning your wedding to Mr. Rowle. Severus was your self-appointed guardian just recently, if I'm remembering correctly. Therefore, the Dark Lord concluded it's only right that he continue having a say in your future. The Dark Lord himself is looking forward to meeting you.

I have been advised that there will be a betrothal dinner held soon, at Rowle Manor. It's a beautiful home, almost as big as Malfoy Manor. Make sure young Thorfinn shows you the library as I'm told you are an avid reader. We will meet in person soon as I am to help you choose a wardrobe befitting the Rowle bride. We will also begin discussing preliminary wedding plans.

I will be petitioning for special permission to take you and a select group of friends to both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley in search of proper attire for any number of occasions. This will be the start of our search for your wedding attire as well. It isn't only the dress, my dear! We need to find bridesmaid dresses and a honeymoon wardrobe! This is already shaping up to be the wedding of the year! I'm so excited to given this most honorable duty!

One last matter: the wedding will be held at the Malfoy Estate instead of Rowle Manor, due to the hostile reaction of Lord Rowle to his son's match. This is a special request of our Dark Lord. Again, I hope there will be no problem with this. In case Rowle hadn't mentioned it and you are wondering why I was appointed and not his mother, well, see above for a portion of the reason but I am also Mr. Rowle's cousin through my father and his mother being cousins.

Looking forward to meeting you, my dear!

Tata! Narcissa Malloy

She handed the letter to Harry as she turned her attention to the other owl. Malfoy had stood up from the Slytherin table as soon as he recognized the owl. He walked over and dropped down beside Harry, reading the letter he held.

The second letter was from Lady Rowle.

My dear Miss Granger

First of all, allow me to congratulate you on your upcoming nuptials with my son. I am so thrilled to be writing you! I have been waiting for my son to tell me he's ready to settle down. I've already begun to make arrangements for your betrothal dinner. I can't wait to meet you! My dear, you do know the Dark Lord will be there. If it were up to me, well,,, but anyway! On to more pleasant thoughts.

Even though my cousin, Narcissa, is the actual wedding planner, I do hope I can also help in some way. My beastly husband has forbidden the ceremony from happening here. Well, that's all right but damned if the beast is going to stop me from having the betrothal dinner here! Oh, mercy! I haven't even told you my name yet!

My name is Freya, dear. The beast is Ivar. Thorfinn is our only child. I must tell you I am looking forward to grandbabies and I'd love to babysit while you work, just a little FYI. Thorfinn tells me you're a reader as well. We have a huge library here at home. Not as big as the Malfoy's but it is very close, my dear. I have enclosed a book for you. It's a book of Norse legends. It's also where I got my sons name.

You know, of course, Thorfinn bears the Dark Mark. It was taken quite unwillingly. If he had allowed it, I WOULD gladly have died before allowing him to do that. But it seems the child is quite attached to both me and his grandmother. He may be the very picture of his father but the only thing he took from the beast is that hot temper of his. Everything else came straight from me.

I must tell you that I have memories of him married to someone else. I have pictures of them also. How is that possible? He didn't mention you until this week when he suddenly announced you had agreed to marry him. You simply must sit down with me and tell me how this came about. Please, Merlin, also tell me you're better suited to him than the one I remember! Eagerly waiting to meet you!

Much love, Freya Rowle

"Well, it seems like his mother isn't too thrilled about the Dark Lord either. Bur she also seems to have quite a sense of humor. She definitely isn't too fond of his father, going by this letter." Hermione said, passing it to Harry as well. He and Draco cackled at the nickname she had for Thorfinn's dad!

They went to class and tried to concentrate on their studies. At dinner, the evening mail came in. To Hermione's surprise, she received another few letters.

Miss Granger

Lucius Malfoy here. I hear we will be having a summer wedding here at the Manor. I daresay Narcissa will try and persuade you into a garden wedding. I'd like to take a moment to congratulate you on your upcoming nuptials with Rowle. He's a lucky young man! Please treat him well. He hasn't had a good upbringing. I'm familiar with his father. I hear you've had your own share of encounters with the man. Let me assure you, if you or Rowle ever need assistance in any way, please don't hesitate to ask.

Lucius Malfoy

She flicked a brow up and looked across the room at Draco. Seeing her look at him, he once again rose and came to the Gryffindor table. She handed him the letter. He read it and nodded.

The next letter wasn't so pleasant. It was from Mr. Rowle.

Girl!

If you know what's good for you, you had BETTER convince my boy to take his ring AND his necklace back! I'll NOT have a MUDBLOOD as the mother of my grandchildren! Do you understand?! I refuse! As far as I'm concerned, there is and will be NO WEDDING! You'd be better off to consider yourself his mistress and sterilize yourself!

Rowle!

Hermione took a deep, trembling breath as she passed that one to Harry. His hands clenched tightly as did his jaw. She decided that one needed to be shown to Professor Snape.

The next letter was from the Dark Lord.

My dearest Miss Granger,

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lord Voldemort. I am pleased that you have been chosen by young Rowle as a bride. I look forward to meeting you. Let me reassure you. If Harry Potter accompanies you to the betrothal dinner, there will be NO trouble. I am prepared to offer a truce to young Potter on behalf of you and Rowle. With the high intelligence and beauty of yourself and Rowle combined, there will be nothing your children can't achieve! Looking forward to meeting you.

Lord Voldemort

Hermione's brows shot up in surprise as she passed that letter to Harry, too. He widened his own eyes as he read it.

She looked towards the Head table, catching Snape's eye. She held up the letter from Lord Rowle. He nodded and rose to his feet. She and Harry rose and left the Hall. They arrived at Snape's door just after he did. After he warded his office, he took the letter. His lips tightened as he read it. He laid it beside a clean parchment and duplicated the letter.

"Miss Granger, obviously he will not welcome you to the family. I would practice extreme caution anytime you're around him. Rest assured, if I'm near, I will not leave you alone with him. I shall inform the Dark Lord that Rowle isn't cooperating with his plans." He handed the letter back to her. "Keep track of that letter."

"Now, how are you doing? I know you're keeping up with your studies. Have you told your parents about Rowle yet?" he settled behind his desk.

"I'm just trying to take this situation one day at a time. I try to keep my mind occupied so I don't worry about things. I've written them about the situation. I'm just waiting to hear back from them. I must tell you, they aren't going to be happy about this. They might give their approval but they still won't be happy about it." Hermione told him. He steepled his fingers. "The only thing they might actually like is that Thorfinn is willing and eager for me to get some higher education after Hogwarts."

"Thorfinn's mother has always emphasized the need to allow his bride to make her own decisions. She wasn't allowed any higher education and she wasn't a willing bride, either. To this day, she hates Ivar and her father for forcing her into a marriage contract. She lets anyone and everyone know the best part of her marriage is Thorfinn." He smiled as he thought of the feisty mother of his best Quidditch player.

"I could tell she loves him in her letter. She said she gladly would have died to keep him from taking the Dark Mark. But he was too attached to her and his grandmother." Hermione told him.

"Yes, she does." He sighed and stood up. "Let me know when you hear from your parents. If you need me to go with you, to help explain the situation better, please let me know."

Hermione stood and walked over to him. She looked up at him and he hugged her. "Don't worry, Sophia. We'll get through this. I promise you. We will make it through."

Hermione savored the hug. "Thank you, Father."

She knew it would only get harder from here. He was one of the only stabilizing influences she could count on. Harry stood and looked out into the classroom. It was still hard for him to believe Snape was on their side but it was becoming more and more evident.

They left his office and went to Gryffindor tower. They sat and studied with the rest of their friends. That night, she told Thorfinn about all the letters, including the one from his dad.

"Don't worry about him, baby girl. Just don't let yourself be caught alone with him. If he touches you, I'll kill him, Dark Lord's favorite or not!" Thorfinn wrote back. "Have you heard from your parents?"

"Not yet. I should have a letter by Wednesday or Thursday." She wrote.

"Are they nice? Will they like me?" Thorfinn couldn't help but worry about it.

"Yes, they are very nice. And they will love you, once they know you don't intend to block me from going onto university even though we'll be married." She replied.

"I wish we could wait until they want you to, baby girl, but with the Dark Lord involved, it's just not possible." Thorfinn apologized.

"Truth be told, Finn, I didn't really want to wait that long, even before the Dark Lord was involved." She admitted. "Ever since I came back from the past, all I've thought about is how much I want to be with you."

In Hogsmeade, Thorfinn smiled. He felt the same way about her. "I can't wait until we're married. Hopefully he'll let us have a honeymoon before he sends me off on tour."

Hermione giggled at that sentence. "Oh, he'd better let us have one. I'll be one furiously angry 'brightest witch of my age' if he doesn't!"

Thorfinn laughed out loud at that. "Goodnight, sweetheart. Sleep tight. Try not to worry about things, all right? I'll see you in three weeks. I'll try to get some tickets for you and Potter. I'd like to see you at one of my games, even if you read the whole time. My mother will be there. You can meet her."

"All right. Goodnight, handsome. You take care tomorrow. No Bludgers to the head, you hear me?" she teased.

"Loud and clear, baby girl." Was his last reply.

In the Wednesday morning mail, she got a reply from her parents. Needless to say, angry didn't cover their feelings about the situation. Hermione knew, if they'd known how to send Howlers, she'd be blood-red and sinking through the floor right now. They were demanding that she and Thorfinn show up this weekend and EXPLAIN THE SITUATION or else!

Hermione cringed as she handed that letter to Harry. He'd just taken a swig of pumpkin juice, which he promptly spit across the table as he read the letter. He looked at her in horror as they both realized there was no way in hell Dumbledore would let them leave Hogwarts! If she didn't show up this weekend, they would not give their approval, which in turn would anger Thorfinn's leader, possibly enough to where he'd take it out on Thorfinn!

"We need to talk to Snape again. If anyone can get him to let us leave, it'll be Snape!" Hermione hissed at Harry. Harry nodded in agreement. She caught Snape's eye and held up the letter. He nodded. As he left the hall, they rose and again raced down to his office. After putting up his usual wards, he read the letter.

"Not to worry, Hermione. I'll tell him that it's urgent that you see your parents. If he tries to keep you here, I'll simply ask him if he's that anxious to go to war. I'll let him know that you have a chance to help us avert the entire war, but only if you're allowed to go home this weekend." Snape said firmly. Hermione sighed with relief. She'd known he'd know what to do.

They went on to class and kept their fingers crossed. At lunchtime, Snape caught Hermione's eye and gave her a thumbs up. She smiled brilliantly at him. They were set to go.

At the Ministry of Magic, Corban Yaxley was filling out some paperwork. His assistant brought in a letter marked urgent. It was from their spy in the Muggle world. He'd been sent to watch the Grangers. He blended in perfectly as, like Hermione, he'd grown up outside the Magical world. Like Harry, he was a half-blood wizard. Yaxley frowned at the letter. He tore it open quickly. As he read it, he closed his eyes in pained sympathy. 'Damn, he hated making these visits!'

He stood and went in search of Cory and Tony, both of whom were bent over a sweet little blond secretary. "Boys! Follow me!" was all he said. They jumped and hurried after him. He grabbed them both, pulling them into the fireplace with him. "Ballycastle Stadium!" he yelled.

As soon as they stepped out of the grate, Cory spoke. "Dad? Is something wrong with Finn? Why are we here?"

"You'll see." Corban spoke shortly. He grabbed Thorfinn's coach, whispering in his ear. The man jerked back with a horrified look and rushed off. Minutes later, he was back with Thorfinn.

"Take off as long as you need." He patted the blonde on the shoulder. Thorfinn looked as confused as Cory and Tony.

"Hang onto me, boys." Corban commanded. All three grabbed his arm as they Disapparated. They were all surprised when they landed outside the gate at Hogwarts. They were even more surprised when an owl flew down to Corban, almost as if it had been expecting him to show up. It had a letter attached. Corban pulled it loose and cursed softly as he read it. He sent a note into the school grounds by the owl.

He noted the time on his pocket watch. It was after four. 'Good, classes would be over for the day.' It couldn't have been more than five minutes before they saw the Potions Master heading down to the gate. He had sent a note to Potter, telling him to bring Granger and the female Weasley with him. This couldn't be good. His bad feeling worsened when he saw the three boys who accompanied Yaxley. 'What was so bad that they were brought along?'

The group of Slytherins walked back to the school. They reached the door at the same time as Harry, Hermione and Ginny. Hermione smiled at Finn but faded when he didn't smile back. She looked at Yaxley with dread. 'Had Voldemort changed his mind? Was he going to make Finn breakup with her, after all?'

"Miss Granger. Please sit down." Yaxley requested. She sank numbly into the chair. He sat in the other chair, facing her. "Before I tell you anything, let me just say I'm sorry. This is one of the hardest parts of my job. Sometimes, things happen that make no sense at all. Just a freak accident can change everything. Miss Granger, Hermione." He took her hands in his. "There was an accident today. In Muggle London. A traffic accident. A drunk driver plowed through a red light and broadsided another car. The occupants of both vehicles died."

Hermione's eyes welled up with tears as she silently shook her head. Cory and Tony were staring fixedly at the floor. Finn's eyes were glued to Hermione. Ginny had her hands cupped over her mouth as she leaned against Harry. Snape was sitting behind his desk with his head bowed, cupped in his hand. "Miss Granger. I'm truly sorry. The car that was broadsided was your parents." He pulled her close as she cried on his shoulder.

"No! Oh no! They didn't get to meet Finn! I wanted them to meet him!" Hermione sobbed brokenly. "I wanted them to meet him!" Yaxley held her tightly as he patted her back. He looked up at Cory, Tony and Thorfinn.

"Hermione, sweetheart. There's more. I received a letter from the Dark Lord as we got here. It's why we're down here instead of the Headmaster's office. He was also informed of the accident. He's overrode the Ministry's appointment of Dumbledore as your guardian. He insisted that Severus be named your primary guardian instead." He tipped his head to look into her teary eyes.

"Darling, he's changed the date of your wedding. You, Potter and your friends from the other houses, whoever is going to be in your wedding party, will be going to Malfoy Manor after Christmas. You'll celebrate Christmas Eve and Day with the Rowle's. Then the wedding will take place on New Year's Eve. You'll start the New Year as Mrs. Rowle. The rest of the plan stays mainly the same. For your holidays, you'll either stay with Severus or both you and Severus will be at Malfoy Manor. Instead of staying the summer with the Rowle's until your wedding, you will be allowed to stay with Thor until the school year starts back. The Dark Lord does insist that you finish your education and go for higher learning. After all, he said to tell you that you represent both your Muggleborn heritage and the houses of Riddle and Gaunt." He raised the arm wearing the bracelet.

"Which reminds me. He was pleased that you accepted his protection. He sent this the day after and I was told to give it to you at our next meeting. They go with the bracelet. I've thoroughly checked them over, too." He handed her a small box. She opened it to reveal matching earrings. She took out the small bobs she was wearing and put the new earrings on. Yaxley smiled approvingly. She had the feeling he'd been told to monitor her reaction to gifts from Voldemort. "Before we leave, do you accept the new conditions of you future plans?"

She looked at Snape who smiled reassuringly at her. Then she nodded at Yaxley. "Tell Lord Voldemort I accept our new future and I look forward to meeting him. Tell him I thank him for the gifts and his protection."

Yaxley nodded and motioned Cory and Tony out the door. "I need to speak to Severus right quick. You have five minutes with Thor. I'd make the best of them. The next time you see him will be your Hogsmeade weekend or a game."

No sooner had he spoken than Hermione jumped into Thorfinn's arms. Harry and Ginny slipped out after Yaxley and Snape. Finn latched onto her as if he was drowning and she was the lifeboat. He slid down the wall until he was seated on the floor, Hermione in his lap. They didn't speak as they were too busy kissing. He pulled her shirt loose with one hand as he ran the other one up and down her leg, inching up further under the hem of her skirt each time. He pulled back and told her, "Baby girl, I'm not sure I can hold back from you until the wedding. We might have to put the cart before the horse!"

"We will both hold back, Thor. Don't worry, we find ways to amuse ourselves until the wedding." With that, she slid a hand under the waistband of his pants. Finn nearly came up off the floor in surprise. Then he closed his eyes and groaned as he placed his hand over hers. She smiled as he helped her find a rhythm he was comfortable with. With only a minute left before they separated, she conjured a handkerchief and wrapped it around him. Just before he felt his release, she kissed him to muffle HIS moans. He went off like a rocket and slumped against her, breathing heavily.

"That-that was-" he couldn't even speak. All he could do was smile and hold her close. She smiled in satisfaction. She'd just discovered one good way of both shutting him up and giving him pleasure until they were married! She got him cleaned up and straightened up just as the door opened.

"Rowle, time's up." Yaxley told him. By the happy, relaxed look on the Beater's face, the young couple had made extremely good use of their five minutes.

Rowle turned and stole one last kiss. "Next time, it's your turn, baby girl." He whispered as he grinned and winked at her. She turned beet red and hid her smiling face as the three Death Eaters walked away. She leaned back against the fourth Death Eater as Harry and Ginny hugged her from each side. Then she broke down into heartbroken tears over her beloved parents.