Story Title: Time, Interrupted
Chapter Title: Ceremonies
Author: Madm_05
Rating: Strong PG-13/T
Warnings: Fluff alert, and not so much fluff alert
Chapter Word Count: 7,055
Date: 18 July 2006
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and everyone else from Potterverse belong to JKR.
Chapter Six: Ceremonies
Looking in the mirror, Hermione realized she had never seen a set of dress robes quite as hideous as the set she was now wearing. It was a horrible shade of pink that reminded her of vomit, and there were far too many frills and far too much lace. If she had to describe it in one word, she would call it nauseating. What was Remus thinking when he picked these robes out? How could she be expected to wear them?
Checking to be sure her door was shut, she set to work trying to save her dignity. After everything she had lost, she still had her pride after all. The first thing that had to go was the color-- she was not going out in public looking like throw - up.
Looking in the mirror, she began to build up her emotions-- her humiliation at having to wear the robes and her desperation to make it more bearable-- and focused her magic to change the unsightly robes to a lovely shade of crimson, her favorite color. It wasn't exactly a little girl color, but her next choice was black-- she was still mourning her parents. All least the crimson was sort of a Gryffindor color. She began looking over the robes, checking to be sure there were no patches of pink that she had missed. It was already more tolerable.
Hermione looked back at the mirror, contemplating what to do next to salvage the dress robes. The lace on the collar had to go, as well as the lace trimming the cuffs of her sleeves. It took a great deal of concentration, but eventually she managed to shrink the bits of lace enough that they weren't visible. Next to go were the frills. By the time she was finished, she was wearing a set of plain, crimson dress robes-- there were no intricate patterns, and a minimum of lace and frills. She smiled in satisfaction.
It was moments like this she was thankful for her wandless magic. Not that she was very happy about it. The only other drawback she could see about wandless magic, aside from not having a wand of her own, was the headache she got every time she did something that was more difficult than making glass shatter or books fly around the room. After staring out her window for half the day, she had come to accept that she would never again hold her much loved wand. Some other lucky witch or wizard would hold it someday. The jealous part of her mind hoped that it wouldn't work half as well for whoever owned it next than it did for her.
Pulling herself away from her thoughts, Hermione reached out for the final piece of her ensemble and felt immediate relief from the constant tingling. She stared at the Celtic cross around her neck and hated it. She hated what it had become, hated what it meant. Bit by bit, she was losing herself to the wizarding world, she was losing the muggle part of herself. And she hated it.
The first time she had entered the wizarding world, she couldn't wait to get rid of all her foolish muggle things. She was a witch, and she didn't want to be a muggle any longer. She never tried to be a pureblood, and she never wanted to be one. She just didn't want to be a muggle. She never realized how precious those foolish muggle things were until her house was burned to cinders by the Death Eaters and she no longer had them.
When Remus became her guardian, he had asked her what she wanted to keep. Now, locked in an oak chest that had been in her family for three generations, was every single picture her parents has taken, from the endearing family photos to the embarrassing picture of the first time she had eaten cake as a child, along with a few family heirlooms. She had chosen to keep many of Harmony's things, though, so that her sister could have something to remember their parents by.
On her bed was the only toy she was permitted to have in her room-- a stuffed blue dog she had named Disco that her parents had given her when she was three. In the drawer of her nightstand, was the journal from Uncle Jack. Around her neck was Great Aunt Josephine's necklace. And she was losing it all. She had wanted to keep so much more, but it simply wasn't practical to keep broken chairs and blood stained furniture. Toys had seemed so trivial, that she couldn't bear to look at them for long.
Her photographs were locked away to protect them from her rampant magic, and the few books she had taken from home were stored in the Black family library. The time would come when she would have to destroy the journal, and the last piece of Uncle Jack would be lost. The necklace she wore had already been corrupted-- it was a magical necklace now. Hermione looked at the stuffed dog reflected in her mirror and prayed it would remain untouched by magic. It was foolish, she knew, to cling to her muggle life, but it felt as if she were betraying her parents every time she--
No, best to think of something else. Magic, yes that was a relatively safe topic. Hermione sighed heavily as she considered her magic. It was painful to think about in many ways, and thrilling in others. It was, for instance, fascinating that she was a natural Occlumens now. Technically, her magic would automatically create a shield if anyone tried to invade her mind. It was a small consolation to know that her untamed magic would keep her secrets safe.
The same for Legilimency-- she would be able to look into another's eyes know if they were lying, and she could reach out with her mind to sense their emotions. She could not, however, see their memories. She winced. A wand was needed for that. It was interesting that apparation, too, should theoretically be easier for her, since all forms of wandless magic would come more naturally to her now. Hermione snorted. It amazed her that she could do Occlumency and Legilemency naturally, but would never be able to light the tip of a wand.
Of course, now everything she knew about wand motions and incantations was useless. Oh she could help others with their wand gestures as much as she pleased, but her knowledge would be of no help to her. Her ability to read and remember was just as useless in that regard as well-- what was the point of reading books on spells she would never be able to cast? What was more upsetting, was there were hardly any books in existence that could tell her anything about wandless magic, and she had no way of getting hold of them.
Then there was Harry. It had been strange to wake up sharing a bed with him, as well as being extremely awkward. Not to mention how hard it was to get him out of bed. She had given him several wake up calls before while at the Weasleys and at Hogwarts in the other time, but for some reason he really didn't want to get out of her bed that morning. His fuzzy reply had been "Dunwanna, m'warm" when she told him to get up. Remus and Sirius had given them strange looks after they finally got out of bed, but said nothing.
A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts. "Come in!" She called.
Harry pushed the door open, his expression mortified. "Hermione, I need help." Sure enough, Harry needed as much help as she had needed a few minutes ago. Before she could speak, Harry took in her altered robes. "Why do you get to look pretty and I have to look like a banana?"
Hermione smothered a grin. Harry did indeed look like a banana-- his robes were a vibrant yellow complete with white ruffles, topped with his black hair. It was rather funny. "Oh, Harry," she bit her lip to keep from laughing. "My robes were horrible as well, so I changed them. Here, let me fix yours. At least you don't have to deal with lace like I did. Now, what color would you like?"
"Any color you think would look good, Hermione," he said, relieved. Hermione smiled at him and considered what to do. Not black, she decided quickly, remembering the Dark Harry. Definitely not black. In the end, she decided to go with a dark blue, before she shrunk the ruffles until they were barely noticeable. It seemed fitting, somehow, that they should both be dressed in dark colors. "Thanks Hermione!" He said, grinning.
"No problem Harry-- you know I'll always be here to help you out." Hermione saw Harry's eyes soften as she spoke. "Now, we'd better go have a talk with Sirius and Papa Remus about these robes." Harry nodded his agreement and the two set off down the hall to speak with their guardians.
The scene in the kitchen would amuse her for years to come. Sirius was standing with his body at an angle, pointing to what appeared to be scorch marks on his behind. His robes, she noted with interest, were violet. A quick glance revealed Remus was wearing vibrant orange, while Harmony was dressed in neon green. No one appeared happy with their clothes. She did note that their robes were not as… elaborate… as hers or Harry's.
"Personally, Padfoot, I think it's an improvement," Remus was saying. "I don't understand what the Ministry was thinking when they sent us these robes for the ceremony." So Remus didn't pick out the robes. That was nice to know. Remus looked over at them. "Hey you two, why aren't you wearing the robes I gave you?"
"We are," Hermione grinned. "I just changed them a bit. I refuse to be dressed like a doll."
"And I refuse to be dressed like a fruit," Harry said adamantly. The two older men gave him a strange look. "I looked like a banana."
Sirius looked thoughtful, likely remembering the yellow robes. "I can picture it." He said, nodding. "But that's not fair, you know, that you two get to look decent and we don't."
"You can change your robes to suit your taste. You have wands-- I know for a fact that you, Sirius, went to Diagon Alley today to get a wand and owl treats for Romulus," she nodded to the regal owl sitting on a bust of one of the Black ancestors. Sirius thought the name he chose was hilarious. Remus did not.
Remus shook his head in amazement. "You are something else Hermione. But really, you should change your robes back-- the Ministry will not be pleased that you changed the robes they sent us for the dinner party tonight. It's a long standing tradition that the Ministry provides robes for individuals who are being honored as well as their guests."
Hermione shook her head. "I'm not going out looking like vomit, Harry's not going out looking like a banana, and my sister is certainly not going out looking like a frog," she said determinedly, concentrating on her sisters robes and changing them to periwinkle-- Harmony's favorite color in the other time. She smiled slightly when she remembered picking out periwinkle robes for the Yule Ball in fourth year to remember her sister by.
"What happened Sirius?" Harry said, referring to the scorch marks.
"Kreacher," Sirius snorted. "Rotten elf. I thought he was getting better when he offered to help me with my robes, but I was wrong." He grimaced. "I told him to leave-- I just couldn't stand the sight of him." He looked at the marks on his behind. "I'll have to fix this," he muttered.
Hermione felt her stomach knot. She remembered all to well what happened the last time Kreacher was sent out of the house. She prayed that this time the consequences would not be so severe. Kreacher's last adventure outside Grimmauld Place had essentially cost Sirius his life. Hopefully no one would die this time around.
She did note, with much amusement, that as Sirius got rid of the scorch marks, he also changed his robes to black. Remus looked disapproving for several moments, but eventually changed his robes to a gray color.
"Now that I'm not embarrassed to be seen in public or to be seen with any of you, let's go," Sirius said, pulling out a piece of ribbon. "I arranged for us to have a portkey, since you kids need some more practice with the floo. All you have to do is hold this ribbon-- it will do the rest for us. We have about two minutes before it activates, so grab on. You too, Harmony."
Harmony looked up and promptly started chewing on one end of the ribbon. "That's one way of doing it," Remus murmured while Hermione slipped their letters of invitation into her pocket. Knowing Sirius and Remus, they would forget all about them. Returning, she smiled at Harry and grabbed the portkey to wait.
--Malfoy Manor--
Lucius Malfoy paced his rooms angrily. No matter what he did to get control of that filthy little Mudblood, he was always thwarted. Oh, how he wanted that little brat! He was no fool, he had seen the way she looked at him. She knew something. He wasn't sure what she knew or even how, but from the way she had acted, whatever it was could be damaging. There was little she could do now, but when she grew older… she was a threat, and she needed to be dealt with, post haste.
He needed to gain control of the wandless whelp, that was all there was to it. Such power… he needed to have it, needed to control it. She knew the secrets of wandless magic, he knew she did. The piece of filth didn't deserve such a gift! It belonged to those of pure descent, those who were her betters, her superiors in every way. He snarled as he remember that Remus Lupin, a despicable werewolf of all things, was granted custody over the girl and her ragtag family.
He had planned to try Legilimency during the hearing to see what he could learn, but once he had looked into her knowing eyes, once he witnessed that she could control wandless magic, he knew it would be pointless. There was something, some secret about the little monster that he was missing. Furious, he threw his glass of brandy against the wall. What wasn't he seeing?
The sudden tingling told him that his wards had been breeched. "Master," a timid elf named Dobby fairly whimpered, trembling. "The house elf Kreacher of the Black Family wishes to speak with Master's wife."
The Black Family house elf? Lucius grinned maliciously. "Send my wife and the elf to me."
--The Ministry--
It wasn't long before she felt the familiar pulling sensation behind her navel. The group found themselves in a sort of entry hall in the Ministry building. The man waiting for them frowned. "I believe the Ministry sent you robes for this occasion."
"Yes, and we're wearing them. We just changed them a bit. Violet isn't my color, you see," Sirius deadpanned.
The man cleared his throat. "Very well," he said tightly. "You are aware of course that the robes were mandatory?"
"As my friend said, we are wearing the robes the Ministry sent for the ceremony this evening." Remus said in his quiet voice.
"Of course." The man gritted his teeth. "If you would please, give me your letters of invitation and say which guest is with which invitee."
"Um," Sirius began to laugh nervously. "Funny thing, invitations. Always running off--"
"I have them," Hermione said stepping forward. "Sirius Black has chosen to have Remus Lupin as his guest, while I have chosen to have Harmony Granger as mine. Harry Potter has chosen to forgo his right to invite a guest this evening."
The man stared at her open - mouthed. "She has that effect on people," Remus said with a slight smile. "Now if you would, we would like to attend the ceremony."
The man snapped back to attention and led them to a side door. "May I present our special guests of the evening," he announced. "Sirius Black and his guest Remus Lupin, Hermione Granger and her guest Harmony Granger, and Harry Potter." Everyone in the room began to applaud as they entered.
Some of the Ministry officials looked at them with stony expressions when they realized the group wasn't wearing the robes they had sent. One of the officials walked up to them. "Are you aware that you are breaking a longstanding tradition?" He hissed.
"We're not breaking anything. We are wearing the robes you sent, we just changed them. When will you people listen?" Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "Honestly now, does anyone have to know that we changed our robes to suit our tastes?"
"I see you also changed the children's," the man said coolly.
"Actually, I changed them. Now, if you don't mind, we would like to be seated." Hermione interjected as politely as she could. She was having a difficult time keeping herself from snapping at the Ministry representative. She didn't want to be here and was anxious for the night to end.
The man stiffened and glared at the young girl, miffed that she would interrupt what he believed to be an adult conversation. "Very well. Follow me."
"Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Sirius murmured as he followed the official. Remus shot him a disapproving look and ushered the children along. Harry and Hermione shared a smile as the group followed their guardians. As they went, Hermione noticed many people pointing, staring and whispering. It was getting on her nerves.
"Hermione," Harry whispered beside her. "Everyone is staring at me again." His eyes shifted nervously from person to the next. "I don't like it."
The young girl sighed. "I don't like it either Harry, but we can't do anything about it." She said agitatedly, glaring at a group of young girls who were staring at Harry and giggling.
"We at the Ministry thought it would be pleasant for the children if we requested the other guests to bring their own children. We have set up a sort of play area for them until the ceremony begins." The man gestured to a play area with children sitting quietly, staring at each other. "You two gentlemen, I'm sure, would rather spend time with other adults." Without giving them a choice, he ushered Sirius and Remus, Harmony still in his arms, away, leaving Harry and Hermione behind.
Hermione looked around, taking in the faces of the other children while Harry shifted uncomfortably beside her. She would have to ask him what he had against other children later-- he was glaring at them for no apparent reason.
"Hey!" Someone called, "you're that girl! You're the one that came to my house the other night!"
Breaking into a grin, Hermione turned and face Ron Weasley, not seeing the cold glare Harry was giving him. "Hello," she said smiling. "I'm Hermione, and this is my friend Harry. What's your name?"
Ron glared at her. "You're the reason my mum and dad got into trouble. Don't talk to me!" He snapped, turning away.
"Don't talk to Hermione like that!" Harry snapped back. "She was just being nice to you, you don't have to be so mean to her!"
Ron crinkled his nose. "Yuck! You sound like you're in love with her. Why don't you just marry her then?"
Harry stood defiantly. "We are married." Hermione couldn't stop the furious blush from taking over her face. She loved the boy, but honestly, he had a knack for this sort of thing. "We even slept together last night." Now she just wanted to bash her head against the wall.
Ron actually gagged. "You're a weirdo! You spend time with a girl and you like it!"
"Hey!" A younger version of one of the Patil twins snapped. "There is nothing wrong with spending time with girls, you stupid - head!"
"Yeah," the other twin nodded. "And hey, you have a sister! You should be nicer to girls." It was like the floodgates had opened. Every girl in the play area began to tell Ron exactly why it wasn't bad to spend time with girls. Of course, they fawned over Harry for liking girls, much to his chagrin.
"Are you two really married?" A young Susan Bones asked, her voice awed.
Harry nodded proudly. "Yes we are. We live together."
Many of the girls actually began to pout. Hermione sincerely doubted that they understood what it meant to be married, but suspected that they wanted to marry the famous Harry Potter anyways. She frowned slightly. She hated how so many people saw him as the Boy Who Lived, and not as Harry.
"When was the ceremony?" Ginny Weasley asked, coming up from behind her brother. Judging from the look on her face, Ginny also wanted to marry Harry. Hermione shook her head in amazement. How was it that a four year old girl could have designs on a boy she had never met?
"Ceremony? I didn't know there was a ceremony." Harry said, his eyes wide in surprise.
"Well there you have it," Ginny said triumphantly. "You're not married."
Harry looked ready to cry. "W-we're not?" He swallowed and was quiet a moment. "Well then, we need to have a ceremony." He said firmly, standing his ground.
"I'll marry you," Ginny giggled.
"Thanks, but I'd rather marry Hermione." He said simply.
"Hey! What's wrong with marrying my sister?" Ron snapped, his face flushing angrily.
"N-nothing," Harry stammered, "I just--"
"They're Matched." A new voice said. Everyone turned to see sharply dressed Neville Longbottom. "My Gran wanted to Match me with Hermione, but she and Harry are already Matched. He can't marry your sister."
Everyone chorused an understanding. "Why didn't you just say so!" One of the kids said to Harry. Hermione thought it looked like Blaise Zabini, of all people.
"Do you really want to have a ceremony?" A girl, who couldn't be anyone other than Pansy Parkinson, asked. "We should really hurry if you do. The grownups will be done pretending they like each other soon." With that, Hermione was whisked away by the other girls to prepare for her 'wedding'. She was so shocked by this turn of events that she numbly did as she was told. A wedding? It was a chilling idea, given last night's dream. Everyone seemed obsessed with the idea, first Neville's Gran, then Harry, now just about every kid in the building. It wasn't that she didn't like Harry, she adored him, but he was five where as she was eighteen. Eighteen going on seven, she thought grumpily.
"What's going on?" A small voice asked. The girls turned to see who spoke. Hermione was surprised to see Luna Lovegood, standing close to a woman's side. Hermione looked at the woman standing next to Luna. They looked very much alike, both had straggly dirty-blonde hair that fell a little past their shoulders and both had a constant look of surprise on their faces. Her mother, Hermione realized.
What had Harry told her? Hadn't he said that Luna's mother had died when she was nine? Yes, her mother was doing some sort of experiment, but it had gone wrong and she had died. Hermione felt a pang of sadness. Having lost her parents twice now, she didn't want anyone else to feel what she had felt. She would have to find a way to save Mrs. Lovegood's life. Luna was a bit strange, but that didn't mean she should have to loose her mother.
"Harry Potter and Hermione Granger are Matched and are going to get married. Want to help?" Ginny said, smiling. The older woman laughed, shaking her head in amusement as Luna bounded over, returning Ginny's smile and nodding.
"Hmm…you really should be dressed in a lighter color, but we can't change your robes because of the Minstery's rules," Pansy began.
"She needs a veil," Luna reminded them.
"Right!" Ginny nodded. "Here, help me rip this stuff off my robes-- it looks like a veil, and my robes will look better without it." Ginny had a fashion sense when she was four? Amazing. It seemed like there were all sorts of things about Ginny that Hermione didn't know.
"You're a Weasley, aren't you?" Pansy asked as Ginny flushed. "Aren't you really poor though? How come you're here?"
Ginny flushed as only a Weasley could while she continued to rip the veil off of her robes. Hermione, still in shock, could only watch the scene play out. "My daddy works at the Ministry, and we saw Hermione once before. My daddy said that they were inviting a lot of people with kids and a lot of people that Hermione might have seen so that she and Harry Potter won't feel so afraid."
Pansy looked thoughtful. "My mum and dad says that Weasleys are a disgrace to the wizarding world, but I think you're really nice."
"Thank you, I think," Ginny said timidly. "Here," she threw the veil over Hermione's head. "This is the best we can do for now. Let's have a ceremony so Harry and Hermione can be married."
Still in a stupor, and trying to figure out just how this had happened, Hermione allowed herself to be led back to where Harry was being thumped on the back by all of the boys. She noted with amusement that they were likely imitating what they had seen grown men doing. Harry, however, didn't seem to care for everyone hitting his back and saying "way to go!"
"Who's going to be the Priester?" Hannah Abbot asked.
"I'll do it," Blaise Zabini said. "My uncle used to be a Priester, so I've been to a lot of bonding cermoninies." With that, he tipped over a crate full of toys, stood on top of it and began. "First I need you two to hold each other's hands." Harry immediately grabbed her hands in his.
"I, Blaise Zabini, a grand warlock, have come before you all to say that Harry Potter and Herminy--"
"Hermione," Harry corrected.
"Right, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger wish to bind their spirits as one for all eternity." Blaise continued. "It is within my authority that these two willing souls…"
Hermione glanced nervously around, not listening to the rest of what he was saying. Apparently Blaise had been to several bonding ceremonies, because from what she could remember, he was saying the exact ritual, even though he really wasn't a grand warlock. And by now, there were several adults watching her 'wedding'. Even with headmaster was watching, with his eyes just twinkling away.
"Hermione Granger," she looked up as Blaise spoke to her. "Repeat after me. I, Hermione Granger, wish to bind my spirit to that of Harry Potter's."
The young witch swallowed thickly and looked at Harry. She was surprised that he looked happy and was smiling. Looking into his eyes, she felt her six year old heart melt. "I, Hermione Granger, wish to bind my spirit to that of Harry Potter's."
Blaise nodded. "Harry Potter, repeat after me. I, Harry Potter, wish to bind my soul to that of Hermione Granger's."
Harry grinned, bouncing excitedly. "I, Harry Potter, wish to bind my soul to that of Hermione Granger's."
"I need a binding cord," Blaise said to the gathered kids.
"Here," Ron said, pulling a strand of leather lacing from his robes. "Looks girly, anyways," he mumbled, handing the leather to Blaise.
Hermione flushed when she realized that the cord Blaise was wrapping around hers and Harry's hands was red, and distantly wondered if he knew it stood for passion. "With the power invested in me, I know pronounce you, husband and wife. Should you wish to annul your marriage, you must cut your biding cord in half before you consummate your marriage."
"How do we consummate our marriage?" Harry asked, oblivious to the snickering adults listening. "Are you okay?" He asked as she choked. Her face bright red, she could only nod.
"I don't know, I think you have to kiss." Blaise replied.
Harry shrugged. "We can do that," he said. With that, he pulled up her 'veil' and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
The children suddenly looked towards the adults at the sound of laughter. The first people she saw were the Weasleys; Molly didn't even seem angry that part of Ginny's robes was thrown over her head. Even the Weasley twins were there, laughing hysterically along with the rest. Hermione was mortified to see Sirius, Remus and Tonks, with Harmony in her arms, laughing so hard there were tears in their eyes.
"Aren't they adorable?" Tonks said mirthfully.
"Come along, you two," Remus finally managed to say. "We need to get back to our table-- the ceremony is due to begin soon."
Harry shot her a puzzled look, clearly not understanding what everyone thought was so funny, but followed his godfather as he tucked the red cord into a pocket. "Let's go, Hermione. These people are weird." He said quietly as he looked nervously around. "They're still staring at me."
Hermione nodded sympathetically--they were staring at her, too. And Harry had dealt with this on a regular basis? She didn't know how he managed to keep himself sane. She was glad that this Harry hated the attention as much as the other Harry she knew.
Lost in her thoughts, she never saw the man blocking her path and walked right into him. "Oh, I'm so sor--ry…" Hermione trailed off as she looked up.
Lucius Malfoy smirked down at the young girl. "Ah, young Miss Granger. I hope you are well," he said, his eyes resting on her necklace.
She panicked. Does he know? "Quite well, sir." Hermione said, her voice strained. "Thank you." Does he know about the necklace?
"So polite." He smiled condescendingly. "I would like you to meet my son. He's your age, I believe." With a smooth gesture, he indicated the young Malfoy heir. When Draco didn't move, his father pushed him towards her.
Young Draco looked much like his older self. She had thought that his face would be rounder with youth, but it was as pale and pointed now as it was in the future. His eyes were a light gray and had a haunted quality she knew all too well. With a twinge in her heart, she wondered what horrors had put that look in his eyes. Maybe, if he were shown kindness, he could be saved.
Hermione forced herself to relax and smile. "Hello Draco, I'm Hermione. It's a pleasure to meet you." She was so focused on Draco, that she never realized his name had never been spoken and never saw the gleam in Lucius' eyes.
"Lucius, old boy," Sirius said before Draco could reply. "My, I haven't seen you in years. Amazing really. So, how are you treating my cousin?" He looked down at the boy. "And my second cousin. Well, I hope."
Lucius smirked. "Why, I treat them like glass."
Sirius smiled grimly. "Glass breaks quite easily, and is just as easily repaired with the flick of wand."
An icy smile. "I wished to speak with Mr. Lupin in regards to our dear Miss Granger. I had thought to Match her and my son. A strategic Match, I think."
"Sorry to disappoint, Mr. Malfoy, but Sirius and I have decided to match Harry and Hermione," Remus said, appearing beside Sirius.
"Oh? I do not believe such a match has been documented," the blonde man replied.
"We're still working on the contract, but the decision has been made," Remus said, setting his hands on Hermione's shoulders as he engaged in a staring contest with the elder Malfoy. "Well, children, we should be going," he said, breaking eye contact and lifting Hermione into his arms as Sirius lifted Harry. "The ceremony is due to start any minute now."
Hermione was annoyed that they were planning her life for her. If she was going to marry Harry, she wanted to be in love with him when she did it! The Harry she knew now was very sweet and endearing, but he would never be exactly like the Harry she had loved in the other timeline, because he would never live the exact same life. Glancing at her friend, she prayed to whoever was listening that the changes she had made wouldn't change him too much. Her task was to keep him from becoming the next Dark Lord, not change his personality entirely.
"Well, here we are," Remus said, setting Hermione in a chair. She sat in the seat indicated by a small card with her name, Hermione J. Granger. Words could not express how much she didn't want to be there. Between her faux wedding and the upcoming Ministry surprise, she wanted nothing more than to go to sleep-- she would rather dream of the Dark Harry than be here, and that was saying a great deal about her opinion of the Ministry. Harry didn't look much happier. She gave him a smile, hoping to sooth him a little.
"Witches and Wizards," Fudge said jovially, standing behind a podium. "We have gathered here this fine evening to honor three very special individuals. Sirius Black," he paused to allow for applause. "Hermione Granger, the Wandless Witch," even louder applause, "and Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived!" Deafening applause. "Would the three honorees please come forward," he said after the applause had died down.
Hermione frowned as she stood again. She had just sat down! Grumbling to herself, she let Sirius take her hand and walked with him and Harry up onto the stage. She really didn't want to be here.
Standing on the stage, she looked around-- every one was staring at her. A quick glance at Harry revealed he was shifting from one foot to the other, his eyes flickering about the room in an attempt to find a quick escape. Privately, she agreed, but looking around, she could not find a quick escape.
"It is my privilege to present to these three esteemed individuals one of the greatest honors the wizarding world can bestow.
"Sirius Black dared to brave fighting a loyal servant of You - Know - Who to avenge a fallen witch and wizard very dear to our world. For his bravery, we at the Ministry present to Sirius Black the Order of Merlin, First Class! The Ministry also wishes to offer Mr. Black the right to any career of his choosing. The Ministry will help him in anyway possible to attain his chosen career." There was a loud applause from the audience as Sirius stepped forward and accepted the velvet lined box containing a silver medal and the slip of paper declaring Sirius' right to a job. When Sirius turned his back to return to his position beside children, he shot Fudge a disgusted look.
Fudge continued. "Hermione Granger, our very own Wandless Witch, at the tender age of six, aided our forces in capturing a servant of You - Know - Who by forcing him out of hiding. For this, the Ministry wishes to present to Hermione Granger, the Order of Merlin, First Class! We at the Ministry also wish to offer Miss Granger the right to a job within the Ministry department of her choosing."
Hermione stepped forward and accepted the black box and slip of paper much like Sirius had. Returning to her place on the stage beside Sirius, she looked a the medal in her hands. It was shining brightly in the magically lit room. The paper documented her right to a job of her choice. Hearing the roar of applause, she looked up and saw Harry walking back to her and Sirius, a terrified look on his face.
Hermione cocked her head to one side as Fudge droned on about the greatness of the Ministry and how the three honorees deserved these awards. She hated him. Dimly she was aware that she hated things much more now than she ever had before, but she couldn't stop herself. Had the man forgotten that her parents had died less than a week ago? Did he really think that a useless medal and a job would make up for the years Sirius lost to Azkaban? More importantly, did he think his stupid medal was worth hers and Harry's parents?
Gritting her teeth, doing her best to keep a reign on her temper lest she do something to get herself or Remus into trouble, Hermione walked stiffly to the podium where Fudge was speaking. "Excuse me," she said, aware that the audience was watching her, not the Minister. Fudge either didn't hear or didn't care. "Excuse me," she said a little louder, pretending Harry and Sirius weren't looking at her strangely. There was still no reaction from Fudge. "EXCUSE ME!" She yelled.
Shocked into silence, Fudge looked down at her. "Thank you," she said, her voice slightly strained, "but I cannot accept these." Hermione handed Fudge the medal and document. "I have done nothing to earn them."
Fudge began to sputter indignantly. "What do you mean, you--"
"I mean that you are giving me a medal because my magic reacted to being in a strange situation. I did not mean to reveal Peter Pettigrew was still alive. It was an accident. I cannot accept this award for doing something on accident." With that, Hermione turned away and began the trek to where Remus sat, his face beaming with pride.
"I can't accept mine, either," Harry said, stepping forward and handing his awards to Fudge as well. "I haven't earned mine either. I don't know how I stopped Voldemort." Everyone gasped at the mention of the Dark Lord's name. "What? It's just a name, don't be scaredy cats." Hermione beamed at her friend. That was the Harry she knew! The Harry who wouldn't take what he didn't know!
Sirius stepped up to the podium and grinned at Fudge. "Don't worry, I'm keeping mine. I would like to make a little announcement though." Looking at the audience, Sirius smiled winningly. "Good evening everyone. Rest assured, I will be putting my compensation for being unlawfully locked in Azkaban for nearly five years to good use.
"The medal, I'm sure you will all be pleased know will be going to Hermione's puppy, Horace," Sirius said, his smile widening at the look of surprise on many faces. "You see, Horace risked his life to save little Hermione's life, and by saving her life, he allowed her to inadvertently free me from Azkaban. If anyone deserves a medal, it's Horace. Besides, I think it would look smashing on his collar, don't you?
"As for the aid of the Ministry in attaining any job I want, well, I'd like to tell you about that career right now. After much thought and conversation, I have decided to open a school. It has come to my attention that many wizarding families do not have the resources to give their children what is considered to be a proper education. I would like to change that. It is my intention to open a school for children not yet old enough to attend Hogwarts and whose families cannot afford to give them the typical education.
"My partner, Remus Lupin, and I will be looking forward to receiving our permits for such an endeavor, which I know the Ministry will do everything to help me with, thanks the this lovely document provided to me by the Minister himself. I have only one thing left to say." He tucked the Order of Merlin and the parchment into his robes. "I want to tell everyone here this evening that I have never been more proud of my godson Harry and his friend Hermione for what they did tonight."
Hermione grinned at Harry as Sirius stepped away from Fudge and began to walk towards them and began to laugh. Harry and Remus soon joined in. When Sirius reached them, he took Harry and Hermione by the hand while Remus grabbed Harmony. "It's a shame you have to stay Dora. Have fun keeping everyone secure!" Remus said, bouncing Harmony in his arms.
Still smiling, Harry said, "Let's go home." Hermione's smile grew. Home sounded good.
--Malfoy Manor--
Later that evening Draco Malfoy sat heavily on his bed and sniffled. He hated Harry Potter. Everyone loved Harry Potter, and he hadn't done anything. His father said so, and his father was never wrong. Stupid Harry Potter had everything. He even had stuff that belonged to him, Draco Malfoy! Like that girl.
That girl was supposed to be his, his father had said so. His father was even going to Match them, so that he could have her. He didn't know what was so important about that girl, but if his father said that she belonged to the Malfoys, then she belonged to the Malfoys. But Stupid Harry Potter stole her.
Not that he wanted that girl. She wasn't as nice to look at as his mother was. Malfoys, his father had told him, should have pretty things. His mother was pretty. That girl was not. Her teeth were too big and her hair was too bushy. Nope, she wasn't pretty at all. He couldn't imagine why his father wanted to Match them.
She did have a nice smile. She smiled at Stupid Harry Potter a lot, he had seen her do it. He sighed wistfully and wished she would smile at him like that. But no, she was too busy smiling at Stupid Harry Potter to smile at him, even though he was a Malfoy and was much better than everyone else. His father said so. He wasn't worried though; his father said he would fix everything and make it right again. Draco lay back on his bed and grumbled.
Stupid Harry Potter.
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A/N: I know, I'm so bad. I took a perfectly fluffy chapter and dragged it through the mud. I had to put the fluff in though, because there's been so much dark stuff going on and there's so much more to come, that I had to put in something silly. Most of this chapter was an experiment; I was playing around with various point of views-- both Malfoys, little kids, etc. I hope I didn't butcher their characters completely.
Thank you, everyone who took the time to read and review. As always, if you read, please review.
Cheers,
Madm_05