Chapter 28: The Wedding Encounters, Part 2
The walk from the Burrow to the meadow, while not very long, turned out to be quite informative for Hermione Granger.
Harry and Ginny shared details about the wedding timeline, logistics, and planned activities, and Ron added a bit to the chat too. Though his attention was split between their conversation and his suddenly quiet bride.
The official part was scheduled to start in under an hour. It included the Ministry speeches, the couples' personal statements, and the formal congratulations from their families. Everyone was expected to be at their seats during that time.
'They really want everyone's undivided attention.' Ron grumbled. 'At least food and drink would be served at the same time with the speeches!'
There would be no symbolic contract signings or reenactment of bonding ceremonies. There were no best men, no maids of honor and no other honored roles.
'All marriages are already fully official. If the event stayed small, as mum wanted, we wouldn't have included anything like that anyway. So the personal statements and the first dance are the only rituals all of us wanted to keep.' Ginny explained.
The couples were expected to greet their guests and socialize till the official part started.
'We are socializing with you,' Ginny grinned at Hermione. 'George and Angelina are likely hiding somewhere too. Don't think they'll even stay long, or give any statements. Though… With George it's a toss up. He is almost his usual self one day… says Fred would want him to be… and the next day… not so much.'
The tents, tables and even seats at the tables were assigned.
'The Ministry wanted all the new spouses to sit together, at least until the end of the official part,' Harry clarified at Hermione's raised eyebrows.
No one in the group knew who exactly ended up assigned to Hermione's table.
As the group walked and talked, Hermione had several interesting insights, some expected, some surprising.
First, and not too surprising, was that she had absolutely no romantic feelings towards Ronald Weasley.
Hermione had regretted rejecting Ron's inept proposal a few times over the past month. She resented his easy acceptance of her indecision, his lack of heartbreak, and his quick adjustment to his new situation.
It took just a moment of interaction for Hermione to recall what the days of isolation glossed over. They were friends. Best friends. But, just friends. Just like Harry and Hermione were best friends.
She remembered having feelings for Ron... Remembered but no longer had them. Hadn't had them in a while. Probably not since before they even started on their Horcrux search.
And, Ron… Hermione didn't know whether Ron liked his bride, or not. Though he certainly behaved with more mature regard towards Millicent than what Hermione had ever experienced from him, or had ever thought him capable of.
He adjusted his outfit to match his bride's. He moved in with the witch into a building housing also several of her friends, the Slytherins. And currently, he was trying to figure out what was bothering his bride, rather than delegating it to Ginny or Hermione, or simply pouting in return.
Yes, their decision not to marry each other was the right one.
'I'm wearing flats next time too!' Ginny whispered next to Hermione, startling her out of her musings. She must have looked at Ron and Millicent's direction for too long.
And that brought Hermione's next realization, she was positively envious of Millicent's flat shoes.
The taller and heavier witch appeared to be gracefully gliding over the grass in her flat shoes and her long flowy gown. Hermione didn't know how she appeared to the outside eye, but she did feel wobbly in her sensible properly cushioned heels.
'We'll be fine at the meadow. The surface is charmed.' Ginny whispered again and looped her arm through Hermione's to steady them both. 'Tested it yesterday.'
As the sounds of the festivities became louder, Hermione had her final epiphany of the afternoon stroll.
She wanted to have a wedding too!
Perhaps not with Lestrange. No, no! Most definitely not with Lestrange! Still, she wanted the fuss and the dress and the anticipation and the hope for a happy future. In the ugliness of the past year, and the coercion of the past month, she forgot. She forgot that she used to dream of normal things too…
Gilderoy Lockhart featured prominently in her earliest dreams. Hermione felt her cheeks heat up. She knew better now, of course. And then, there was Ron. Until slowly the belief that she might not live long enough to even have a romantic relationship stopped the childish fantasies.
Funny how the person who killed the very last of her desire to dream was now her lawful spouse.
She hadn't dreamed since the Manor.
Hermione just hoped.
Hoped things wouldn't get worse. Hoped they would win. Hoped her parents' memories would be restored. Hoped Bellatrix would stay sort of sane. Hoped she herself would not snap and do something unforgivable.
She planned and she acted, too. Naturally!
She just didn't remember the last time she really dreamed about things.
'Don't worry, Mione. If anyone has a problem, they'd have to deal or get out! We want you here.' Harry peered worriedly at her.
Hermione frowned. She must have missed something Harry said, or possibly looked too serious or unhappy.
'Thank you, Harry, just a bit of nerves.' She shrugged. 'Haven't seen most people since right after the battle…'
This was hardly the proper place for such morose thoughts and self-pity.
She grinned wryly at her friend.
The group separated as they neared the meadow. Harry waved off an elven greeter and insisted on walking Hermione to find her table himself. The other three headed to socialize with the guests.
The two walked under the canopy of the largest tent.
Harry pointed to the slightly elevated table.
'That one is for the wedding couples. All eight of us will be there at first. So your table should be one of the closest to it.'
Soon enough they found Hermione's name glinting over the table placement. She touched her finger to the projection. The writing shrank, floated towards the back of the chair, and engraved into the middle of the chair's back.
Luna Lovegood, Daphne Greengrass, Neville Longbottom, Lavender Brown, and Susan Bones spelled the other five placement projections over the table.
Hermione was contemplating her tablemates identities when she felt a tug on her arm. Harry looped their arms and steered her back outside. The determined look on her best friend's face didn't bode well for whoever or whatever incited it. Hermione used to think of it as Harry's on-the-mission face.
She didn't get a chance to ask.
'We are going to socialize.' Harry muttered, as he looked over the open space deciding on the strategic socializing points. 'Enough is enough. Without you, Ron and I would be dead several times over!'
'Or expelled.'
Harry snorted as she hoped he would.
'Exactly!' He rubbed his famous scar. 'And these people, many of whom probably hid and prayed that Tom would never have a reason to know they existed, these people dare to glare and judge!'
'Harry, that's-'
'No. It's not alright. This whole bloody circus is to project the bloody unity! So let's project!'
The rational thing would have been to dig her heels in and stop Harry from doing something very rash. Yet with odd fascination, born either from resentment towards the covert glares or from simple boredom, Hermione let her irate friend drag her from group to group.
Harry's auror colleagues... The Minister... The Marriage Initiative Commissioner... Several DA members... The Ministry officials... Head Auror...
Harry was polite and subtly sarcastic, as was Hermione. They both made sure to fit in something referring to Hermione's achievements rather than her personal circumstance in their short small talks. And as an icing on the proverbial cake, Harry roped half the attending Ministry into the official picture with her.
'Minister, Commissioner, councilors! How about a picture with the most important but rarely seen part of the Trio? Oh no, without me, there are too many of those already!'
The Gryffindor in Hermione was appalled but the teeny tiny bit of Slytherin was amused to no end.
Hermione spotted their old Transfiguration Professor, and the new Head of Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall, and begged off from further socializing.
She caught up to the Headmistress in the large tent. The elder witch was clearly pleased to see her. The two caught up about the progress of Hogwarts restoration, the Headmistress's plans for the school.
'You do plan to attend school this year and take the NEWTs, don't you, Hermione?' The elder witch finally asked.
Hermione blinked blankly, and then her eyes rounded. She realized that she'd forgotten. She'd forgotten to owl her reply to McGonagall. Because of course, that same day Bellatrix brought the accursed purple stick into her life, and then there was the Journal… and sending missives to the papers… and the sex… or whatever that was that they engaged in…
'I-I did. I do! Merlin, I was going to owl the reply days ago…I'm so …. agghh… I'm sorry, Headmistress! I cannot think straight since the bloody marriage law business started! It is not too late is it?'
'Nonsense Hermione, of course it isn't late. Please don't doubt your welcome at Hogwarts.'
Hermione felt much better about her future, and about her spending time at the wedding, after her conversation with her favorite professor.
Arthur Weasley projected his voice over the meadow in greeting.
Hermione arrived at her seat just in time. The official part of the event had started.
All of her tablemates were already at their seats, and already had their glasses full. So Hermione also poured a glass of wine, tuned out the officials droning about law and marriage, and observed her tablemates.
Luna sat to Hermione's left, and Susan Bones was to her right. Both witches acknowledged her greeting with small smiles. As did Daphne Greengrass, a Slytherin witch from their year, who sat between Luna and Neville.
Neville was directly across from Hermione. He nodded in greeting but then kept shooting puzzled looks her way. The width of the round table and the surrounding silence prevented any conversation that he might have wanted to have with her.
The last person at the table was Lavender Brown, sitting between Susan and Neville. Ron's ex was studying Hermione with unreadable expression on her scarred face.
Hermione was quite sure neither Luna, Susan or Lavender were attached to each other or to Neville or Daphne. She itched to ask why they were alone and how they avoided the Ministry meddling. Neville and Daphne appeared to be a couple... if their endless whisper-arguing was any indication.
The event progressed peacefully enough. Guests eventually grew tired of keeping the attentive silence during the speeches, and the space was filled with low hum of conversations.
The bickering across the table went on and on. Hermione was certain she heard Neville's I should have taken grandma as my plus one at one point, and hid her grin by sipping her wine. She thought she saw his grandmother among the guests... Perhaps he just meant as a company to sit with during the official part. She chatted with Luna, and with Susan, and ignored glares and loud sighs from Lavender.
Overall, Hermione's evening was that of sipping wine, listening to various people making various speeches about love and marriage, and trying to keep her own conversation to light topics only.
It was some time later when the tenuous peace at their table was disturbed. By Hermione herself, of all people. She blamed the second firewhiskey shot, they all shared, and her seemingly bottomless 3rd glass of wine.
The composition of the tablemates was most likely unintentional, but no less amusing. Here she was, Ron's latest ex, then there was Lavender, his former flame, and Susan, who he sort of fancied silently and from afar their first couple of years at Hogwarts…
'Daphne, you didn't date Ron by any chance, did you?'
That effectively stopped bickering across the table.
'You barmy, Granger? Or are you drunk?' Pretty lips formed a disdainful sneer. 'Wouldn't even be here if this buffoon didn't drag me here to present marital unity.'
The last two words were sneered with even more passion than the rest of the sentence.
'Ron is too fiery, Hermione…' Luna stated without prompt.
'For the record I didn't date him either, Hermione.'
'That would have explained a lot,' came a soft mutter from the only Slytherin at the table, and Neville promptly rolled his eyes.
The lul in the conversation didn't last.
'I don't understand how you can stay with that lunatic!' Lavender hissed. 'How you could spare her...'
Neville and Daphne stopped their resumed whisper-argument and focused on her.
Hermione added to her glass, and took a large sip.
She was definitely tipsy because she wasn't even outraged at the accusation or dismayed at the upcoming confrontation, as she normally would be.
'Excuse me?' She said after a long pause.
'Excuse you? Are you serious now? Excuse you?! Are you that desperate for attention, Granger, to keep that monster alive?! And to show up here too!'
'Ron and Harry invited Hermione, Lav. She is their best friend.' Luna's serene voice cut in, and the blond witch smiled warmly at Hermione.
Luna looked a bit tipsy too.
'I don't understand either!' Neville added now that the topic was brought up.
Daphne heaved a sigh, and adopted a neutral expression undoubtedly perfected at the etiquette classes.
'No, Daphne! I want to know too! Why? You know what she'd done. What she'd done to my parents!'
Hermione sipped some more wine, and added some more to her glass.
'Have you nothing to say?!'
'I am not the Ministry's judge and executioner.' She glared at her former classmates. 'I fought to stop the Law as soon as I've learnt of it. Did any of you? I've even asked for exemption. After all that happened... you'd think I could at least have been given a year to come to terms with things. I'm sure you can guess the outcome of that request!'
She glared at her old classmates. Now she did feet some outrage.
'Wizengamot put the laws in place. I followed them to a degree I can live with. You have a problem with the laws you fight to have them overturned.'
'But that won't change anything that has already been done. Won't change Lestrange's fate.' Susan added quietly, an observation rather than a judgement.
'It won't.' Hermione agreed.
'That's it, that's your reasoning? To show up to the Ministry? How are you even still in one piece?'
'The better question, is Madame Lestrange still in one piece?' a quiet measured voice asked. 'Is that why you kept her, Granger? Revenge?'
That effectively changed the mood at the table and all stared at her with various levels of curiosity and disbelief.
Hermione glared at the only Slytherin at the table.
'This is sick! She is not a pet. I don't keep her! Everyone is in one piece, thank you very much, and that's the last I'm saying on the topic!' She snapped and glared at each of her tablemates in turn for good measure.
'I would have' came the quiet voice from Hermione's right again, Susan Bones. 'I think I would have wanted revenge. But Voldemort himself killed everyone in my family. And he is dead. So I chose death for the Death Eater match I got... Compared to Voldemort he was harmless but... I wasn't about to waste my youth on him. If any of you are wondering why I am by myself.'
Hermione did not expect that.
'My match was already dead.' Luna added.
Hermione did not expect that either.
'What?!'
'Yes, at the Azkaban collapse. The MIC clerk said it was a mistake. They wanted to add my name to the second round but daddy promised to put in Quibbler all their mistakes if they don't let me be.'
'All? And are there a lot of issues?'
The blond thought about the question a moment before answering.
'Some, there were a lot of matches this year… daddy has examples of matching to a dead person, and matching out of alphabetical order, and matching Voldemort's supporters to each other.'
'So Mr. Lovegood thinks the spell is broken or manipulated?'
'Daddy just thinks it is curious, and that others might find it curious too.'
'And what did the Ministry say?'
'That the spell is complex... that we are not privy to stuff...'
'Hm…'
'Nice change of topic, Granger'
'That's enough, Lavender! Not the place, not the time. Seriously! And where is your match anyway?'
'I don't have one! I was too sick from my injuries! Thanks to your friends! I'll be participating next year unless I find my own spouse before next summer.'
Hermione topped her glass... It almost sounded like Lavender wished to get married... At 18, what a fool! Bellatrix planned to feed her to Greyback at the Manor. Her friends!
Luna dragged Hermione to dance, as soon as that became an option, saving everyone from further heated discussions.
Hermione had to admit, even if some conversations weren't all together pleasant, it wasn't a personal disaster she dreaded. At least not yet, not while everyone, including herself, remained somewhat sober.
End of Chapter 28