It started as a stupid bet between her and her American friends. But it bloomed into something more. "The itch" is what her friends called it. She had it quite a few times now. But she couldn't be happier that she used that Gryffindor courage to start the journey.
She observed her body in the mirror in front of her. Beautiful swirls and lines of ink ran along the left and right sides of her body in delicate patterns. The pieces ran from under her left breast, over the right side of her ribcage, and down her right leg; with the last piece stopping just above her ankle. Her newest and maybe the last edition to her art that was her sat just above the collar of her shirt. The dragon curled its tail under her collarbone, small puffs of smoke billowing from its nostrils.
She decided that her very last tattoo (maybe) would be of the Ironbelly that she rode out of Gringotts that one fateful day. Except for going to a muggle tattoo artist like she normally did she decided to go to a wizarding one instead.
Turning and throwing a look over her shoulder she also looked at what she could see of it, the only other magical piece she had from America. It was a beautiful vine of flowers that changed and bloomed daily. It connected with her first tattoo and artfully followed the contours of her body to connect with the muggle piece on her right hip.
Meeting the eyes of her artist in the mirror they shared a secret smirk. The man lifted his thumb and forefinger to the corner of his lips and mimed locking them then flicking away the key. Who knew Blaise Zabini would create and open the first wizarding tattoo shop in London.
He handed her a card with the name of his shop and surprisingly a phone number written across the back of it. She smiled at him gratefully and tried handing him the payment. Holding his hands up he simply smiled and shooed her away while saying he owed her for everything. Hermione just rolled her eyes at him.
Transfiguring her shorts into jeans and her cropped tee into a long lightweight long-sleeved tee, that covered her arms and collarbone, she bid Blaise goodbye and set off into the streets of Diagon for the first time in forever.
It was no use trying to fool herself into thinking that no one would notice her sudden reappearance in Wizarding London. From her peripheral vision, she saw many witches and wizards alike do double takes or stop in their tracks completely.
She took a moment to stop by Flourish and Blotts to pick up a copy of the newest edition of Hogwarts: A History, as per the insistence of nieces and nephews.
While exiting the shop she could have sworn that she saw a flash of icy white blond hair. She shook her head thinking it would be absurd that she thought that she saw Draco Malfoy of all people just walk into Blaise's shop, The Emerald Mirror.
At that moment she thought she saw him again, and a flash of light went off right in front of her. Damn it. There goes the peaceful walk.
She quickly took out her wand and apparated to the Burrow to avoid any more press.
Feet landing softly in the lush grass just outside the wards a sense of ease washed over her. Four years was too long to not visit.
In those five years after the war so much happened. In the first year she went back to Hogwarts for her "Eighth Year" and graduated with all O's on her N.E.W.T.S, she and Ron also gave a romantic relationship a try that summer as well. They parted amicably though, they had agreed they were better off as best friends turned sibling type of relationship. She shivered at the memory of the few kisses they shared. It was like kissing her brother.
After that Hermione spent the second year away in search of her parents. Upon finding them, after six long months of looking, she saw that they had an even more successful dental practice and a whole newfound family. Making the difficult decision she decided to leave them be, no matter how much it hurt. She made the decision that night to flee to America.
At first, it was like she dropped off the face of the earth for a few months. Only after a frantic owl had finally found her did she write and explain what happened. Only a few people knew where she was after that. The list included the Weasley's, Harry, and Professor McGonagall. The latter helped her get into an American University. From there she had to adjust to living on a whole new continent along with making new friends and navigating the muggle world again.
Thankfully, this university had a wizarding section to it so she could keep up to date on events and not become rusty on her spell casting. But, even though she longed to be a part of it completely she decided to keep most of the education she received here to muggle knowledge and practices. It didn't stop her from making both muggle and wizarding friends though.
It was her muggle friends that she got that fateful dare from four years ago.
She was in her "freshman" year, as Americans called it, of university. Though the schools over here were referred to as "colleges". For the life of her, she couldn't figure out why. Hermione was majoring in healthcare, nursing to be specific, and was minoring in chemistry. It would be useful if she decided to return to London and become a Healer at St. Mungo's.
But, that was the farthest from her mind as her friends tried to convince her to do something daring. Putting it on her secondary school house, the Lyon's at Harrow.
"C'mon Herms! It doesn't hurt that bad!" Sasha exclaimed. But then again she was covered in them.
She just responded with a shrug and fiddled with the hem of her shirt. They were standing outside of Donnavan's shop. He was already inside setting up his equipment and grinning at them through the glass.
They were only here because they came to pick up Van, for a night out, but Sasha decided she needed "fresh ink". So here they were waiting for his signal that he was prepped and ready. Instead of Sasha being the only one to get a new tattoo her group of friends were trying to convince her to get one.
A smirk passed over Greyson's face. Hermione shot him a look hoping he wasn't planning on saying what she thought he was going to say. He opened his mouth and took a short inhale of oxygen.
Don't say it. Don't say it.
"I triple dog dare you, Herms." He said it.
Taking in a deep breath she looked over each one of their hopeful faces and then down at their art pieces that they had collected over the last couple of years. She was now the only ink-free person out of all of them. She didn't mind being the odd one out usually, but this time she did. She also wasn't going to back from that serious of a dare.
Nodding her assent sent whoops of joy through the three other people.
As soon as she stepped through the doors a small mass of bright blonde hair hurled its way to her. "Auntie 'Mione!"
Crouching she caught Victorie, the youngest Weasley grandchild, for now, in her arms. Peppering kisses across his face she felt her heart soar at the fact of being back with her family. But the ache of knowing that she missed so much settled in her belly. Setting the child back down another redhead crashed into her for a hug.
"Hermione! I've missed you so much!" Ginny cried. Hermione squeezed the younger witch tightly. Soon two other sets of arms enveloped them. Ron and Harry looked down at them. They then let Ginny shimmy her way out to give them a moment.
Looking up at the two faces, in person nonetheless, that she had only seen through international floo calls for the past four years it sent her bursting into tears. Quietly they all sank to the floor in the living room, still clinging to one another.
She had hated leaving so abruptly after saying she would be back after finding her parents. Hermione had come back to England briefly to explain what was going on and to collect some belongings after she received the frantic owl. Harry had understood immediately while Ron took a couple weeks after she left to be okay with the idea and to not tear the world down to find her.
They all had things they needed to heal from that they had experienced in the war and after. Each had chosen a different path on how they wanted to heal. Harry stayed and faced his problems head-on by joining the DMLE as an Auror, Ron drowned himself in the Joke Shop with George, and well Hermione, she just ran. She had needed as much space between where she spent the most pivotal moments of her life and where she forced herself to be to finish schooling was just too much.
Soon it felt like she hadn't left at all. Except Charlie was back now and the Head Keeper at the newest sanctuary in Scotland, George was now married, so were Harry and Ginny (to each other of course), and Ron was engaged. To Pansy Parkinson of all people. She lost herself so much in thinking about how much had changed, that she didn't notice the youngest of the Weasleys, well she was a Potter now, asking her a question.
"-ione?" she shook her head to break her reverie and hummed in response.
"I asked if that was a tattoo?" Ginny asked again touching her shoulder lightly and pointing to her chest. Looking down she saw the dragon peeking its head the collar of her shirt dipped into a vee. Feeling her face heat she just nodded.
Ginny just chuckled and brushed the hair away from her hair to reveal that she had gotten a magical one as well. It was the sun and a crescent moon locked together, shimmering ever so slightly as she moved. She saw her and Harry's bonding date swirling through the sun.
Complimenting Ginny on it, she pulled the collar down to show her the rest of the dragon, which the other witch expressed her awe over. She wasn't ready to show anyone else the intricate art that was all over her body. It made her reminisce about her friends from America.
Van could not hide the smirk that settled over his features after he announced that he was done. Guiding her to a mirror so she could see the fresh ink that adorned the left side of her ribcage.
Astra inclinant, sed not obligant
Was written in Ophelia's elegant script, which was another one of the artists Van had employed at his shop. Since he could not "write for shit".
The stars incline us, they do not bind us. She thought to herself as they all admired her ink. It reminded her that even though fate is fated to happen it was never forced upon someone it is always a choice of free will in the end, no matter how much Harry would argue with her about it.
Soon Molly had tasked the four of them with setting up for dinner. She let herself loose in the thoughts of the past few years, as she studied the boys and Ginny.
So that's how she found herself, just as lost in her thoughts during the typical Sunday family dinner, sandwiched between Ron and Harry, laughing and talking jovially with her formal rival and the one that had almost given Harry over to Voldemort.
But, there was one question in her mind as a place at the table set bare. It was three too little for Bill, Fleur, and their daughter, as they had left a couple of hours ago to see Fleur's family. Angelina was already here as was Pansy. Percy had a meeting with the Minister, and she was here. Who else?
Her question was answered when the door opened. Her heart stuttered in her chest as the surprisingly deep tenor of the voice said, "Sorry I'm late. My last client wouldn't stop talking."
This had to be some sort of sick joke. To torture her by seeing them the nonetheless. It was the person she least expected to see at the Burrow of all places, not when they had a posh manor to live in. Let alone at the Burrow with tattoos crawling and moving magically around the exposed skin of his neck. She simply must've landed in an alternate universe. There was no way this was happening, surely someone would've mentioned it in the last four years. But here he was in all of his glory
Draco Fucking Malfoy.
A/N: Hey guys it's me Moon! So I've moved over to Ao3. I will still be posting here but it will not take priority over posting there. For every few updates I post there I will more than likely match it but a few days to a week later. So catch me on Ao3 if you'd like to keep up with the regular updates ;). See ya on the flip side.
Also Happy New Year!