The Replenishment Decree

Most of the Hogwarts faculty and many of the guests had wished Dean and Draco well and headed home from the party after dessert was served.

Minerva, too, was on her way out and stopped to speak to Narcissa and Hermione who were still seated at their table and quietly sipping tea.

“Ladies, I do own a cottage up the road, and you’re more than welcome to stay there this evening if you’d like.”

“That’s a lovely offer, Headmistress, thank you,” Narcissa smiled, “Hermione, what do you think? I know you’re well prepared for a night away.”

Seeing the blush gracing Hermione’s cheeks, Minerva added, “I call it a cottage but it has three bedrooms, a sitting room, and a kitchen, of course. It’s just up the road, turn on Lamb and it’s the second on your left.”

“That does sound nice,” Hermione smiled.

“I’ll just let Winky know, she’ll meet you there and let you in...whenever you’re done here. It doesn’t look like the party’s wrapping up any time soon,” she laughed.

Looking around, Narcissa had to agree. The sun had set and the courtyard was lit only by floating candles and luminaries but the dance floor was quickly filling back up with Draco, Dean, and their friends.

“Just a few more dances with you and we can go,” Hermione said, grinning at Narcissa again.

“Enjoy your evening, ladies, don’t rush on my account. Winky won’t mind a bit what time you arrive. She’s taken to staying at the cottage herself and will absolutely love to have some witches to look after for a night.”

“Thank you, it’s much appreciated. Perhaps we’ll see you for tea in the morning?”

“Perhaps,” Minerva smiled and bid them goodnight.

“Hermione,” Narcissa said, nearly whining, into her fiancée’s ear, “I was serious about nothing more than kissing. I don’t know how much more dancing with you I can take tonight.”

“Mmmm, just dance until there’s one more slow song. After that we can go. I’ll be nice, promise,” Hermione winked, walking backwards towards the dance floor, pulling Narcissa along by the hand. “Please?”

Narcissa rolled her eyes, smirking, and used her long legs to catch up to Hermione. She continued to hold the other woman’s hands in her own and gently wrapped them behind Hermione’s back, leaning down as she kissed the younger woman. “I may suffer for it later but I will dance with you as long as you want to.”

Hermione returned her kisses, passionately, and teased, “there’s no reason to suffer, darling. We’re two consenting adults.”

“Yes, dear,” Narcissa released Hermione’s hands and held the face in front of her own, “we’re two consenting adults who respect one another and are going to wait more than five days to jump into bed together. I would prefer we wait until the twenty-first of December.”

“I’m simply saying, Narcissa, that we’ve far surpassed the three date rule.”

“The three date rule?”

“Yes, this is at least our eighth date. We could...enjoy one another with no guilt.”

Narcissa, wide eyed, shook her head, “I’ve never heard of a three date rule, though I can assume I know what it means. However, I’m sorry to disappoint you, I shan’t abide by it.”

“Oh, ‘Cissa,” Hermione laughed, hugging her, “I’m just teasing you. This is all fun - and rather exciting - but I’m not ready either. I am definitely enjoying the build up, though.”

“You’re terrible. Dance with me,” she returned the laughter.

Looking around as they took to the floor to Faith Hill’s “This Kiss”, Hermione immediately pressed her lips back to Narcissa’s. “We’re being watched,” she said against Narcissa’s mouth.

“You don’t sound happy about that.”

“I think she’s Adeline Adore from Witch Weekly and they publish tomorrow. It’ll be their first issue since the Decree came out.”

“Then I imagine she’s going to report on us. We did send an Engagement Announcement to print today.”

Sighing, Hermione hugged Narcissa tightly, “I know. I’m just wondering what she’s going to say about us. Shall we maybe talk to her before we leave?”

“Darling, if you’re worried about what she’s going to say, let’s sit down with her and give an official interview. White knight? Fast horse? Ride you off into the sunset? You like this music? What is this accent?”

Cracking up, Hermione answered, “Faith Hill is from the States, this is a country song and it’s pretty new. I just think it’s sweet. And your kisses are unstoppable and perpetual bliss. Honestly, can you tell me that our first kiss wasn’t a pivotal moment?”

Standing still, Narcissa looked into Hermione’s golden brown eyes and completely agreed.

“Do you want to know something, Narcissa?”

“Always…”

“I love that it was in the National Gallery...I don’t know why. It just feels mystical and beautiful and perfect to me.” Hermione watched as Narcissa’s eyes filled with tears.

“It was, all of those things.”

Narcissa was happy the next song slowed the tempo down. A love song from the Weird Sisters that allowed them to remain with their arms wrapped around one another and their heads pressed together.

“Okay, let’s just walk to the bar near Adeline and see if she talks to us. If she does, we’ll answer what we feel is appropriate. If not, we can have another drink and then head to the cottage?”

“Sounds good, Hermione,” Narcissa smirked.

“What?” Hermione lightly poked the other woman’s side.

Narcissa laughed again, “I just think it’s cute that everything has to have a plan.”

The two were still smiling as they reached the bar and each asked for water and wine. It took only ten seconds for them to be approached.

“Excuse me,” a chirpy little voice interrupted.

They turned together to see Adeline smiling at them, eyebrows raised.

“Yes?”

“Miss Black, Miss Granger, I’m Adeline Adore. I’m covering parts of the Replenishment Decree for Witch Weekly. I usually write the ‘Stick It Out’ column, if you’ve read it.”

“I have,” Narcissa said drily. “You’re the one who encourages young witches to find a way to stick it out in their current relationship whether or not it’s actually better for them.”

“Um, well, when you look at it that way it sounds awful but, it isn’t like that. I respond to every letter I receive and, in nearly all of them, I advise the witch or wizard to terminate the relationship. You only read the silly ones in the column where the solution is obvious.”

Narcissa nodded.

“Not to be rude,” Hermione interjected, “but was there something you wanted?”

“Oh,” Adeline got flustered, “I just wondered if you had anything to share about your betrothal or today’s wedding. Or if you know of any other upcoming weddings that haven’t been announced.”

Narcissa tilted her head and pursed her lips. “I don’t think Hermione or I have much to add to our Engagement Announcement unless you have a specific question. We were pretty forthright with the information we’ve already put out there.”

“Would you care to compare your choice to your son’s? You two were both assigned a different partner but went to the Ministry to request reassignment to one another. Your son and his boyfriend were assigned different partners and they simply ignored the Ministry and married one another anyway. Any comments?”

“None.” Narcissa’s voice could’ve frozen water itself.

“One might think, or speculate, rather, that other couples will do as Draco and Dean did and not seek permission. What’s the need, really? If the Ministry wants us all married off, why do they care to whom?”

“They care to whom because we have to also reproduce,” Adeline answered.

“Hmm,” Narcissa merely hummed her response and looked away.

Hermione waited a beat before asking a question of her own, “Adeline, who are you marrying?”

The reporter blushed bright red, “I’m not. I haven’t. The Ministry has not yet given me a partner.”

“Oh,” Hermione winced dramatically and made significant eye contact with Narcissa.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“You’re really waiting? For the government to choose your spouse? Do you even know who’s doing the assigning?”

“Yes. There’s a special department for it! They have the most empathetic witches working there, I bet!”

Narcissa and Hermione moved away from the bar, arm in arm, and smiled at Adeline piteously.

“I’m sorry to tell you this,” Hermione placed her free hand on the reporter’s forearm, “but the assignments are being selected by one young wizard who is working in the Muggle-born Registration Commission office. If you’re covering this for Witch Weekly, a lot of readers are going to depend on you for information about the Decree. You might want to consider visiting the Ministry and checking on the Assignment Chair yourself.”

“Good evening, Adeline. I do hope you enjoyed the party,” Narcissa said kindly.

The witch just stood watching the unexpected couple leave together, off the dance floor, through the courtyard, and into the darkness beyond...never letting go of one another or even missing a single step.

“Muffliato,” Narcissa whispered as they reached the street.

“Do you think it worked?”

“That was brilliant, Hermione. Now she’ll be reporting on the wand-check, the Decree, and the Department. You are the poster child for Slytherin cunning right now.”

“Must be the dress,” Hermione teased.

They walked silently together toward Minerva’s cottage, each lost in her own thoughts.

“I love how you can see so many stars from Hogsmead,” Narcissa whispered.

“It’s beautiful,” Hermione agreed. After a few moments of silence, she spoke again, “Are you sure you want to stay at McGonagall’s cottage?”

“I am. It’ll be nice to have a night away, like a vacation. She’ll probably come for tea in the morning and then we can have brunch with the boys at the Manor.”

They continued their walk in comfortable silence, hands entwined, taking their time. They weren’t rushing, they were strolling down the moonlit road. Their slow pace and lack of conversation were lucky...had they been moving more quickly or talking they probably wouldn’t have noticed that they were being followed.

“Wand at the ready, darling, there’s someone behind us,” Narcissa murmured into Hermione’s ear.

“I thought so. Just one I think. Body-bind or disarm?”

“You disarm, I’ll shield. Ready?” Hermione nodded. “And. Go.”

They turned in unison and both silently cast their spells…

“Ugh, you? Again?”

“Get used to it, witches,” Rita sneered, “I know there’s a story here and I’m going to get to the bottom of it.”

“We already scooped you, Skeeter. We announced our own engagement. There’s nothing else to share.”

“What is it you’re looking for? I’m actually quite boring, isn’t that why you had to make up all those other stories about me? I guess I can’t really fault you for taking photos earlier, Narcissa is absolutely stunning but you’re not even doing that right now. You’re just being creepy,” Hermione shivered and looked at Rita with an expression mixing pity and disgust.

“I’m not creepy! I’m a journalist! A reporter! You’re lying about something and I’m going to figure out what!” Rita was losing control, spitting as she shouted, face going red. “You ruined me once before but I came back. I got published again. You can’t stop me!”

“Rita,” Hermione put both hands up, palms out, showing the woman she meant no harm, “I’m not trying to stop you. If you’re referring to what happened a few years ago, I have no intention of blackmailing you again and I’m sorry for doing it before. You were publishing lies and I didn’t know how to stop you any other way. I had hoped you would come clean with the Ministry yourself but, if you don’t, it’s on your conscience, not mine. If you’re following us now hoping to get some dirt on me to publish, there’s nothing. You’ve already done your worst. You printed a story not a month ago claiming I was pregnant with Harry’s baby - I’m not, by the way, if you’re curious. Also, not sleeping with Harry. Nor Ron. Thanks.”

“You think I’ve done my worst, little girl, just you wait. After my book hits the stands this month, everyone will be begging for my articles. Then, I think I’ll write a book on you. Hmm...Hermione Granger’s Success: Brilliance or Blackmail?”

“You can try, you worthless hag, but you’ll have to contend with me. I’m not Hermione. I’m not kind or a bleeding heart. I don’t think everyone has value. In fact, I think you’ve just outlined for us exactly how you have none. I spent a long while surviving the Dark Lord and his most trusted lieutenants living under my roof, you want to try me?” Narcissa moved within inches of Skeeter’s face and stared down at the shorter woman as she finished, “I dare you.”

Rita stuttered and stumbled and got nothing out in her own defense.

Narcissa glanced up and saw the acid-green Quick Quotes Quill taking notes on their conversation, smirking, she left Rita with one last word before she walked away, “Incendio.”

The reporter’s notebook and quill burst into flames, destroying her misquoted representation of their words.

As Narcissa came nearer, Hermione held out her hand. “Where’s her wand, cub?”

“Here,” Hermione held out her hand, displaying a short, elaborately carved wand.

“I’m going to ask you to do something very childish,” Narcissa smirked. Hermione nodded, eyebrows raised. “Would you hold it up, so she sees that you have it and then throw it as hard as you can back toward the Three Broomsticks?”

“Gladly.” When Hermione held Rita’s wand in the air she had to wave it around a bit for the reporter to notice she had it but when she did, she panicked.

“Don’t! Don’t break it! Give it here!”

Hearing that, Hermione held the tip, pulled her arm back and whipped it forward with all her might watching it spin end over end through the air. It landed in the street and bounced and rolled out of sight. Rita went scurrying after it.

“I don’t think she’ll come back tonight,” Hermione said.

Narcissa wasn’t so sure and maintained the shield charm around them as they continued their walk to the cottage. “Have you ever been so tired you came all the way back around to awake again? And that adrenaline rush just made me feel so oddly detached.”

“Oh, yes. I’ve been there. A few too many times in the last year. Especially the time I took the Bellatrix Polyjuice Potion.”

“The what?” Narcissa stopped moving.

Hermione turned, walking backwards once more, pulling Narcissa with her, “I took Polyjuice Potion to turn into Bellatrix once. It was disgusting, she tasted worse than Gurdyroots.”

“Can you please never, ever talk about what my sister tasted like ever, ever again?”

Hermione smirked, then bit her cheek, then both of her lips, finally a giggle burst out. “I’m sorry! It’s just so funny, I didn’t mean it like that! Oh, goodness, I think I’m overtired.” She couldn’t stop the giggling once she started.

Though Narcissa desperately wanted to ask why Hermione had taken Polyjuice Potion to turn into Bellatrix, her very own torturer, it was just not the right moment.

“I think this is it,” she turned onto a curving path that led to a quaint, stone cottage with a wooden front door.

As the witches approached the door, it was pulled open by Winky the House Elf. “Good evening, Mistresses. Professor McGonagall says you’re going to be staying here tonight. Come in, come in, come in. Winky got rooms ready for you and tea ready for you and drew a bath for you both.”

“Hello, Winky! Thank you so much for sharing the cottage with us tonight and getting all of that ready for us to stay,” Hermione said quietly.

“You are welcome. Come see your rooms. Professor says two rooms and two baths.”

“And she’s quite right, Winky, thank you,” Narcissa spoke up.

Winky closed the door and then ran around the two women to lead them through the sitting room into a short hallway. She gestured to two doors, side by side, and told the women they could choose. She explained that there were attached washrooms in each - though she did use different wording.

“Thank you, Winky, have a good sleep. We’ll shout if we need anything. Do let us know if we’re bothering you,” Hermione said, kneeling before the elf.

“See you in the morning,” Winky said before walking back through the sitting room to disappear into her own sleeping area.

Turning to smile at Narcissa, Hermione found the other woman leaning against the doorframe, watching.

“You okay?”

“Absolutely,” Narcissa smiled tiredly, “I’m rather looking forward to the bath Winky’s drawn for me.”

“As am I,” Hermione stretched up on her toes and lightly kissed Narcissa’s lips once more. “Let me pull out the things I packed for you and off you go.”

After a few moments spent summoning various articles of clothing from Hermione’s magically enhanced handbag the women separated to have their own relaxing baths.

Half an hour later found Hermione stepping back into the hallway, skin fresh and clean, smelling like lavender and vanilla and ensconced in her softest pyjamas. Narcissa’s door was still closed so Hermione made her way alone back to the sitting room and found the kitchen. She poured them each a glass of cold water and added a few slices of lemon from a bowl in the refrigerator. Hermione settled herself on the couch, where she would see Narcissa’s door if it opened. She hoped her fiancée would come out to say goodnight.

Though she waited longer than expected, Hermione was not disappointed and Narcissa stepped tentatively into the sitting room. “I didn’t...this is going to sound so silly,” Narcissa sighed.

“What? Come tell me anyway,” Hermione held out her hand without getting up from the couch.

Narcissa smiled and silently took Hermione’s offer, sitting next to the younger woman. “I didn’t want to go to sleep without saying goodnight to you.”

“I don’t think that’s silly at all. I was hoping you’d come back out here after your soak. I got you a glass of water with lemon.”

Narcissa kissed the cheek next to her own and whispered her thanks before moving to drink almost the entire glass.

Hermione laughed again, “I guess you were a little thirsty?”

“After all that dancing and wine? I feel like a desert!”

Hermione hummed in agreement and waited for Narcissa to settle back next to her.

After a while, Hermione spoke again, “It occurs to me that we should perhaps consider attending more weddings in the next few months.”

“Not that I disagree but what prompted that thought just now?”

“A few things actually. First, I want to dance with you again. Second, it was nice to see some traditional wedding elements that we may want to incorporate. Third, it’ll keep reminding people that we’re an actual couple, not just names on a paper.”

“I’m going to counter your statement, not because I necessarily disagree with you but I just want us to think of multiple angles, okay?”

“Go ahead,” Hermione raised her eyebrows.

“We’ve agreed, more than once, that even though we originally decided to partner with one another to turn the Ministry on its ear and defy the Decree, we’re going to treat this like a true partnership, right?”

“Right.”

“With that in mind, we definitely, one hundred percent, look, to other people, like a couple who is...very...interested in one another. I’m not sure our public appearances are going to have the intended effect.”

“The effect of lighting the spark?”

Narcissa nodded.

“Honestly? I wasn’t thinking about it for a moment. I was actually just thinking about us and our wedding. Foolish of me, I know, we’re only getting married because of the Decree in the first place.”

Narcissa sat up and turned toward the younger woman. “Hermione, no. We agreed to get married because of the Decree. We’re getting married because it’s, surprisingly, the right thing for both of us, isn’t it? Were you lying when you said you had a deep certainty in your soul? I wasn’t. I do have that certainty that I am going to be marrying the best person on the twenty-first of December.”

Hermione smiled and looked into Narcissa’s ice blue eyes. “No. Not lying. Just tired and a little...vulnerable right now.” Hermione reached up and pressed her hand to Narcissa’s cheek. “I’m certain that we will be very happy together.”

Narcissa relaxed sideways into the back of the couch, snuggling into Hermione’s embrace.

“Mmm, let’s just stay here for a few minutes before we go to bed, okay, darling?”

“Of course, Cissa, just a few minutes.”

And within those few minutes, both women were sound asleep.

Winky quietly refilled their glasses in case they needed more water and then covered them with a soft blanket before she, too, fell asleep in her own little cupboard.

Narcissa awoke slowly to the sound of a kettle whistling nearby. She had an interesting crick in her neck and it took her a long moment to realize her pillow was Hermione. The two of them had somehow managed to shift in their sleep and were nearly lying down across the couch, wrapped up completely in one another.

"The kettle, good that means tea will be ready soon...Tea? Oh, Merlin, McGonagall’s already here," Narcissa thought.

“Hermione...Hermione, darling, wake up,” Narcissa said quietly.

“Mmm, no. Stay here. Still so sleepy,” Hermione pulled Narcissa back into her arms.

Minerva, having heard the quiet voices, stepped silently into the sitting room. She caught Narcissa’s eye and, smiling, shook her head. “Don’t rush up on my account,” she said, almost without sound, “I’ve always been an early riser.”

“If you’re sure? We did stay up rather late last night dancing and talking. And being followed by Rita Skeeter,” Narcissa rolled her eyes.

“Absolutely. I’m going out back with Winky. Join us at the pond whenever you’re ready. Take your time, Miss Black. No need to get up just yet.”

After McGonagall stepped back into the kitchen and closed the door behind her, Narcissa laid her head right back on Hermione and closed her eyes willing sleep to claim her once again.