Chapter 27: The Wedding Encounters, Part 1

Hermione Granger appeared in the whirlwind of apparition just outside the Burrow wards on top of the low hill. She pushed the stubborn locks from her face, looked around to confirm that she indeed was somewhere other than the Grotto island, and let out a soft giggle.

Freedom!

Her laughter grew louder, and soon turned into a full belly laugh with teary eyes and achy stomach. The uncontrolled mirth slowly gave way to hiccups and occasional amused snorts.

The witch grinned at the bright blue sky, and then sighed. There were times the world beyond the island started to feel like just an illusion. Rejoining the outside world was a relief, even if the upcoming event was going to be stressful.

The small hill she was on overlooked the Burrow on one side and the small meadow on the other side.

White tents with pulled-up walls spread around the meadow. Festive hedge and flower arrangements decorated the spaces between the tents. The guest list had to be over half a thousand people given the number and the size of the tents. Half a thousand opinions... How many of those contributed to the howlers stock of the Grotto mailroom?..

Hermione's hand twitched towards her wand, tempted to return to the relative safety and predictability of the Grotto.

The dark brows knitted in dismay. Running away from people was very much out of character for Hermione Granger! And when did Bellatrix Lestrange's place of residence become a safe space in her mind, anyway?!

The hand moved away from the wand.

The witch was distracted from troubling personal discoveries by the sight of her best friends running up the Burrow side of the hill.

'Hermione!'

She laughed as the boys reached the top of the hill and hugged her.

'You are here!

'In person!'

As she stepped out of the hug, the two wizards looked pointedly at her unruly tresses, smudged makeup, and tiny stains and rips all over her dress.

'Interesting dress…' Ron ventured, and then plucked several errant leaves and twigs from her hair. 'Muggle?'

'Did Lestrange-' Harry started.

'Bellatrix didn't do anything, Harry.' She ran hands through her hair once more looking for any other foreign objects possibly stuck there. The dress and the makeup were surely salvageable. 'I just need a mirror. Why are the two of you still in everyday clothing?'

Harry nodded towards the Burrow, and the three started walking down the hill.

'We were about to change when Ron spotted you.' Harry suggested.

'Mum can help, with the dress.' Ron added. 'Or maybe the tailor, she is upstairs altering Ginny's dress right now.'

Harry kept glancing at Hermione's disheveled form suspiciously.

'What happened?' He finally blurted. 'If she assaulted you, you would tell us, won't you?'

Ron's eyes snapped back towards Hermione with renewed concern.

Hermione shot her friends an exasperated look. She understood where they were coming from. She was right there with them a month ago. But now... she wasn't sure where she was on the topic of her controversial spouse. She didn't think the witch presented danger to her. At least not a physical one. At least not at the moment.

'Truly, it's just a silly silly situation, Harry! A consequence of my own foolishness!' Green eyes didn't relax at all. 'Ugh very well! You better not laugh! You remember, there's just one apparition spot on the island, right? I can jump between the island locations freely, but to apparate out I need to use that spot. The Circle. I wanted to speed up the process, to apparate close to the Circle and then apparate out. Got distracted. Lost my footing on appearance, and fell into bushes.' She shot the boys a look. 'Thorny half-ripe berry bushes. If you want specifics!'

Hermione blushed and glared as the two laughed. She left out that Bellatrix observing her departure from the window, coupled with Narcissa's narrowed look just moments before that, was what distracted her in the first place... The two would probably find it either even more hilarious, or concerning.

The three chatted as they walked towards the Burrow.

Hermione learned that Mrs. Weasley actually wanted a small family gathering. She hoped to add a warm memory to the forced beginnings of her children's young families. Unfortunately, Harry and Ron's fame and Mr. Weasley's elevated role in the Ministry ensured that there was no way to keep the guest list short, or the event private.

Families by blood, by heart, by law… Old friends, and new… Colleagues… Teammates… Dumbledore Army… Order of Phoenix… Hogwarts professors… Important Ministry connections… Spouses or plus ones of all the invited…

The boys warned her that the Prophet and Witch Weekly were on site; and that the Ministry expected to use the event to promote the Marriage Law, to illustrate its supposed success. The semi-formal part of the event included several speeches from the Ministry officials. Harry and Ron speculated that those speeches would most likely be about the Law, and their generation's noble role in the wizarding future.

'Bloody spectacle! Don't know why Dad agreed to it in the first place!'

'We warned the reporters to stay away from guests or be thrown out. They are to talk to the wedding couples and to the Ministry officials, only. The official speeches can only be about the wedding couples too.' Harry explained. 'Let us know if anyone bugs you.'

Hermione hummed in agreement.

'It might be too hectic to catch up properly now, but you are staying with us at Grimmauld for a bit, aren't you?' Harry looked hopefully at her as they neared the house.

'MUM,' Ron bellowed as soon as he spotted his mother through the open entrance door. 'Mione is here! She needs help!'

'Ronald!' the young witch hissed at her friend but it was too late. The matronly shape of Mrs. Weasley was hurrying over, accompanied by a very tall young woman dressed in Muggle clothing. Ron's bride, Millicent Bulstrode, no doubt.

Hermione hoped to have a little more time before diving into what surely would be an uncomfortable conversation with the Weasley matriarch, or with Ron's bride, for that matter...

'Wine?' The tall girl held a dark bottle up questioningly and smirked. 'Come on, Granger, you look like you need it.'

Hermione found herself alone with Millicent Bulstrode minutes after entering the Burrow.

The Slytherin turned out to be one of the only neutral people she encountered at the Burrow. The older Weasley siblings, their spouses, and in-laws, teetered between unease, fascination, and barely contained resentment. No one was openly rude or inappropriate, but all found somewhere else to be moments after the three friends stepped into the house.

And many of those people knew her since she was a child.

The Grotto mailroom with its never ending supply of howlers flitted through her mind, a reminder and a warning of how the people who didn't know her behaved. Merlin, she hoped those were from people who didn't know her.

'Thank you,' Hermione muttered as she accepted the glass and took a small sip. 'Probably not the last one I'll need today either.'

The tall witch snorted as she plopped in the creaky chair.

'Cheer up, Granger, half a day to be nice to random people and pretend they don't talk shit behind your back.' Bulstrode pulled at her fingers eliciting several pops from the pulled knuckles. 'Piece of cake. Just like Hogwarts... You have my blessing to jinx or punch the worst offenders.'

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the smirking witch.

'You would love me making a spectacle, won't you?'

Bulstrode laughed, cheerfully rather than mockingly as Hermione expected.

'Whatever keeps the attention away from me is cool in my book, Granger.' She pulled at her fingers again with no effect. 'When Ron said small group wedding, I didn't realize he meant half the Ministry and Hogwarts gonna be joining...'

Hermione put the wine down and turned back to the mirror. She coaxed her unruly locks back into the orderly arrangement. The dress looked fixed for the most part.

Silence fell. Not awkward, but not overly comfortable either.

'Look, Granger, for what it's worth, I don't plan to pick up where we left off at Hogwarts...' The witch pulled at her fingers again, and one knuckle popped again. ' I hope we can have uhm.. if not friendly interactions then like uh... some sort of a truce?..'

What a strange day.

The Weasleys were standoffish.

Bulstrode wanted to be friends.

Next, Slytherins would be inviting her to sit at their table!

'Sure.' Hermione heard herself saying. 'Friendly would be nice.' If we can manage it!

Silence fell again.

The sound of the floo in the other room broke the quiet.

'I probably should bounce,' Millicent rose up quickly and stretched. 'It's either Mr. Weasley back from the Ministry, or my robes. Let it be the robes!'

The image of the newly minted Mrs. Ronald Weasley still bounced in Hermione's mind, as Mrs. Weasley returned.

'Let me see your dress again.'

The Weasley matriarch didn't sound angry, but neither she was her cordial self. Hermione turned in a circle obediently, and waited as the older witch found and fixed a tiny tear at the back of her dress.

'Thank you for having me, Mrs. Weasley. For adjusting the date-'

'Didn't expect you to come, Hermione. Did it to humor-' The redhead stopped abruptly, and shook her head. 'Ah, that sounded wrong... I didn't think you would go through- ah... that you could go through-' The redhead stopped midsentence again and shook her head in frustration. 'She hurt you so... I didn't want to think you'd-'

Hermione bit her cheek. If even Mrs. Weasley was so conflicted, what chance of a peaceful evening was there... what chance of a peaceful year... or a peaceful life?..

Hermione wondered whether she should offer to leave. She didn't want to. Harry and Ron wanted her there. More than that, leaving felt like running away.

The older witch sighed.

'It is not very fair to ask of you what we've all been asking, is it? Vengeance on that monster should not be your responsibility.'

Hermione agreed with the sentiment. Mrs. Weasley though... She didn't look like she believed her own words.

'Of course your sentencing decision took the chance for justice away-'

'HERMIONE! FINALLY!' Ginny bounded down the stairs, two steps at a time.

Hermione was grateful for the interruption. This was not the time or place or person to have the justice argument with.

Moments later the teen in a white dress with red accents appeared in the doorway, and immediately rushed to hug Hermione.

'Gosh I thought you'd end up like that princess Harry told me about! In the tower! Guarded by a dragon! Never to be seen again!'

Hermione snorted at the imagery. Harry was clearly mixing up his fairy tales. Princesses were meant to be found after all.

'So how was it?!' Ginny whisper-shouted as she dragged Hermione to sit farther away from her mother.

'How was what?'

'Sex! With Lestrange!'

'GINNY!'

'Ginevra!'

'Sorry, mum! Girl talk!' The teen shouted, looped her elbow through Hermione's, and pulled them both out of the room, and supposedly out of the range of her mother's hearing. 'So?!' She whisper-shouted again after making sure no one else was around.

Hermione folded her arms and pursed her lips.

'Come on, Mione! I haven't seen you in forever! Was it at least worth the wait? Did you like it? Was she good? She must have lots of experience! Was she hard to please? What am I saying? You are you. You are great at everything! Godric's knickers, I can't believe you did it! She didn't hurt you did she?! You are ok, aren't you?'

The teenager finally ran out of steam, fell silent, and stared, with eyebrows raised high, at Hermione.

'I cannot talk about it.' Hermione muttered.

After several long blinks, Ginny frowned.

'That bloody witch! Harry! Ron!'

Hermione blinked at the sudden departure.

'Ginny, wait, that's not what I meant! Merlin! Wait!'

For a person in a long dress and fancy shoes, Ginny Weasley was quite quick up the stairs.

Hermione caught up to Ginny in Ron's room. Millicent and Harry were already there.

After a short but infinitely awkward chat her friends reluctantly agreed not to storm Hermione's place of residence. Hermione refused expand on her simple statement that her murderous spouse hadn't hurt or even looked at her wrongly during the consummation.

Ron and Harry exchanged quick relieved looks but didn't press for more information.

Ginny though was clearly put off by Hermione's secrecy, and kept shooting her closest girl friend confused looks.

The truth was Hermione was tempted to confide in Ginny.

Those interactions with Bellatrix were just so odd! The witch herself was turning out to be so unexpectedly unexplainably odd! Hermione felt unprepared, off-balance, and failing every bloody time. And Hermione Granger detested being bad at things. Especially, things most people were routinely supposedly good at! Hermione itched to discuss all that with someone. Preferably Bellatrix herself. But that was not happening anytime soon. Possibly not ever.

The redhead was probably the only person she trusted with and could talk to without dying from embarrassment about such personal stuff. Hermione always assumed they'd confide in each other... Ginny must have assumed so too.

It just didn't feel right to Hermione. She promised Bellatrix not to discuss that stuff with anyone. Even if Bellatrix broke her own word and was rude to her... It just didn't feel right.

'Sorry, Gin, that's all there is to say.'

For the second time in less than an hour, Hermione found herself accepting alcohol from her former school tormentor.

'Don't worry Granger, practice does make perfect,' the tall witch added, just loud enough for the other three to hear, and winked at Ron...

Ron turned furious red.

Harry and Ginny snorted.

Hermione almost spit the fruity shot out.

The group didn't stay upstairs for long. From the top floor Ron's room was on they could see the meadow. The outdoor space was filling up with people quickly. The older Weasley couples were there already. It was time for the younger couples to join their guests too.

End of Chapter 27