Chapter 9
Hermione sat and stared at the twin redheads sitting across from her desk, confusion over taking her visage. “Can you repeat what you just said, please?”
“Molotov cocktails filled with napalm,” Fred answered.
“Brilliant, really if you think about it. Bottles, cloth, twoingredients. Minimum effort, maximum destruction.” George sounded entirely too excited with his response.
“Our houses were… napalmed?” Hermione said again, dumbly, for she was truly struggling to understand this new development.
“Thankfully, you both had the wherewithal to add fire suppressing wards, or it could have been devastating for you both. Especially you, Mione. The whole building would have been demolished.” George had sobered a bit now, finally understanding the danger that the attacker had placed everyone in.
“But, who?” Hermione’s confusion was blessedly starting to wane now, being replaced with a well-deserved rage.
Fred shrugged, “Our best guess is someone or someones familiar with guerilla warfare.”
Hermione could think of two groups of people whofit that description. She conjured her patronus and sent the dragon to deliver the message to one person before pulling out some parchment and scribbling a note to be sent to the second.
As she was folding the note, the recipient of her first message walked into her office with Claire. “Thank you, Claire. Can you send this off for me, please?” Hermione asked before offering a chair to Seamus.
“What’s going on, Hermione?” Seamus asked as he sat down.
“Mine and Malfoy's wards were attacked Friday night. The twins have just informed me that the devices used were Molotov cocktails filled with napalm.”
“Shite” Seamus mumbled as he ran a hand through his hair, “Any idea who did it?”
“That's why you’re here. The twins suggested someone, or someones, familiar with guerilla warfare and with your attachment to the IRA, I was wondering if you had any ideas?”
Seamus began shaking his head before Hermione finished speaking, “Mione, no, Christ, there’s never even been a whisper of bad blood between you and them.”
“Nobody that would think to go behind everyone’s back for this attack?” Hermione didn’t want to believe it would be Seamus or the Irish, but she needed to be sure.
“I swear on me Ma I don’t know anything, but I’ll see if I can find anything out for you.”
“Thank you, Seamus, you’re a good friend.”
“Hermione, whoever did this… We’ll find them. You’ve always been a friend to me and mine and I intend to repay everything you’ve done for us. ”
Before Seamus left he walked around the desk to drop a kiss on Hermione’s cheek.
Hermione blew out a breath after he left, her brain on rapid-fire mode. Who was the top question. Why was easy enough to answer; the motives behind both of their residences being attacked didn’t leave room for much mystery. She didn’t like not knowing, hated how the lack of knowing brought back the loss of control, the feelings of free fall inviting the anxiety back in. Somebody was attacking not only her and her friends, but innocents as well.
Images of the potential destruction of her apartment building began flittering through her mind, melding with memories from the war. Her breathing stuttered at the onslaught, she couldn’t do this, not again. What had she been thinking? Imagining she could change anything, placing herself on a pedestal that she had no business being on. Placing others in harm's way to further her own ambitions. She was no better than those she had fought against, was she?
Blessedly, Pansy interrupted her inner musings before they could progress further, “Mi, if you don’t leave soon, you’re going to be late for tea.”
Hermione looked up from her desk to her three friends, focused on the green of Pansy’s eyes as she shoved all of the thoughts, new and old, into a box and buried it deep into her mind.
Hermione didn’t miss the relieved sigh slipping out of Pansy’s mouth or the way Fred and George relaxed slightly when she released the deep breath she had taken. All three of them had seen her mental health at its worst at some point since the end of the war, and none of them wished to repeat those disastrous episodes.
Cracks of the mind filled in once again Hermione nodded once and stood, “Right, I lost track of time dealing with… this” Hermione said while waving her hands in a whatever the fuck all of this is movement.
“You’re not wearing that,” Pansy said, and Hermione glanced down at her current outfit: leggings, an oversized off-the-shoulder sweater, and her comfy boots adorned her body.
“Excuse me? Narcissa doesn’t care how I dress for Sunday tea, not anymore.”
Pansy didn’t even bother to answer, only pulled her wand and began transfiguring her clothes into a strapless midi dress. The dress was black, the skirt falling to just below her knees and the petticoat below adding the slightest bit of fluff.
Next were the shoes, gone was the soft fur of her boots, now replaced with a black strappy heel.
Pansy then moved onto Hermione’s hair, she didn’t do much here; Hermione already had it pulled into a messy bun. Pansy smoothed out certain parts, strategically messed others, and allowed some ringlets to fall thus = her face.
Pansy gave a critical glance at Hermione's improvedappearance before pulling a jewelry box out. Inside the box sat a silver necklace encrusted with emeralds and diamonds, matching drop earrings nestled inside as well.
Hermione narrowed her eyes at her best friend, an understanding falling on her that perhaps this wasn’t a simple tea she would be attending. “What are you doing, Pans?”
“My maid of honor duties.”
“I haven’t accepted his proposal yet.”
“I have worked entirely too hard in making today perfect for you to argue with me,” Pansy held Hermione’s hands up, “about these nails… we need to make sure your hands look perfect for the pictures after.”
“Pansy,” Hermione sighed, “how do you know what my answer will be?”
“Because he’s what you need, you’re what he needs, and as I’ve said before, you two are written in the stars. Stop fighting this and say yes to that man today. Plus, showing a united front to society may make certain cretins back off”
“I’m not going to marry him just for protection.”
“Shut that big beautiful brain down for one day. Please. I know you won’t marry him for protection, or because on paper it’s a logical match, or for any reason other than you want to marry him. So, I am begging you to stop overthinking this and ask your emotional side what it wants.”
Hermione stood frozen for a minute, she already knew the answer to that question. She had been fighting the answer to that question for weeks, her brain trying to override her heart. But then she thought about how he looked at her that first night at the club, how he handled the Andrei business by himself as to not stress her out more, how the night of the attacks he refused to lose the physical contact he had with her until she was safe within her own wards.
She allowed a small smile to come to her face and nodded at Pansy, who promptly let loose a relieved sigh, “Perfect, let’s get you to the manor so you can take your place as the future Lady Malfoy.”
“Granger-Malfoy”
“I know what you want, Mi, but to the rest of the world, you will be Lady Malfoy, just as he is lord Malfoy. We can argue about the rest later.”
“I do not know of any of my men who would openly attack you or her, but I will absolutely look into it for you,” Andrei said. Draco had requested a meeting with him right after the attacks and had been upset to learn that he wasn’t available until today.
They were standing on the back lawns now, the meeting taking longer than it should have. Draco had moved it back here to be in position for when Hermione arrived. Except Artemis was back here, and she was as delighted to see Andrei as he was to see her. So the meeting continued while his dragon received a ludicrous amount of attention from the Russian.
“Draco, darling, Pansy just sent her patronus ahead. They’ll be here shortly. Are you ready?” Narcissa had just completed her last-minute checks on everything and came to warn her son.
“Of course, mother.”
“Perfect, wonderful. Hello Andrei, how are you today, dear?” Narcissa asked as she turned to him.
Andrei gave her a small bow before grabbing her hand and laying a small kiss on it. “I am much better now that you have appeared, Lady Malfoy.”
Narcissa couldn’t stop the blush that came to her face. “Always a charmer, just like your father. Now, Draco, I have the press warded into the red room for afterwards. You put the chain on Artemis' neck like you said you would, yes?”
“Yes, mother.”
“Wonderful, now, where are those friends of yours?”
“I’m not sure mother. I believe that I asked them to stay away today, but you know-“
“Never fear, Draco, my boy, we have arrived to save the day!” Adrian sang as he, Theo, and Blaise exited the house. Blaise was, of course, perfectly presentable in his suit. Theo and Adrian, however…
“What in the bloody fuck are you two wearing today?”
Theo and Adrian completed twin twirls in their matching floor-length ball gowns. “We made sure we dressed for the occasion, of course,” Theo said as if it were the most obvious thing ever.
“This isn’t black tie, you prats. You weren’t even invited,” Draco deadpanned
“What is going on?” Andrei asked
“Draco is proposing to Hermione today. These yahoos can’t follow a direction to save their life, and the other harbinger of chaos should be here any-“
“I’m here! I’m here, I didn’t miss it, did I?” Ginny said as she sprinted out of the back door, still in her quidditch kit from practice.
“Merlin, help me/”
“Darling!!! You are right on time; the other two-thirds of your troops should be here any minute,” Theo exclaimed as he strutted to Ginny and began whispering conspiratorially in her ear.
“Ah, a proposal, how wonderful! I shall stay to watch this,” Andrei
Draco threw his hands in the air and accepted the fire whisky that Blaise handed him “Ignore them brother; just focus on Hermione when she gets here. I’ll cast a silencing spell over these cads so that you don’t get interrupted too much.”
“Merlin, bless you, what would I do without you?”
Before Blaise could answer, the entire back garden was drowned in the first notes of ‘Kiss From a Rose’ by Seal. Draco looked around to see what was happening and found Hermione and Pansy standing just outside the doors, looking highly confused, while Theo, Adrian, and Ginny were giggling wildly off to the side.
“You!” Draco pointed at the trio. “What did you do? Make it stop!”
“You charmed the song to play as soon as I stepped through, didn’t you?”
Ginny was bent in half laughing, Theo and Adrian not far behind.
Hermione began to laugh as well, saw that Draco was still confused and explained “Fred and George created the charm to play “fuck the police” every time Ron enters their shop.”
Draco, decidedly done with everyone’s antics, said, “Hermione, will you come here, please? Artemis has something for you.”
As Hermione walked towards him, looking deliciously wicked, he noted, he glanced back to see if Artemis was in position. She was not. She was over next to Andrei. Again. “Artemis, come here. It’s time.”
Artemis gave a very toddler-like huff before she loped to stand next to Draco.
Hermione reached him at the same time Artemis did. “Hello, lovely. How are you today?” She said as she began scratching her cheek. “Oh, what’s this necklace? Did Draco place it here? And there’s a little box attached to it? I wonder what that could possibly be?” she asked as she looked at Draco, laughter in her eyes.
Draco decided to give up all pretense. “It’s your ring. Would you be so kind as to remove it and hand me the box, please?”
She allowed her giggles to grow to full-blown laughs as she did as he asked. As Draco got down on one knee, she glanced back towards the doors and watched the group there. Someone must have placed a silencing over them, for they were entirely too quiet for how animated they were. The song still played on, though.
“Hermione, I know I am not a perfect man. I have done and said things that should have made it so I never even glimpsed happiness. However, I am greedy; I want to have done all of those things and still have you. Will you accept me as your future husband?”
Hermione watched him for only a minute. “Of course I will, Draco.”
And to Draco’s credit, he didn’t fumble as he removed the ring from its box, nor as he placed the heirloom on her finger. Not once did he shake as he stood, gathered his witch in his arms, and locked their lips together.
The silencing bubble was broken then, and cheers rang out as the couple embraced. One voice was heard above all as they broke apart “drink! We drink to this joyous occasion!” Said Andrei as he called forth a wooden cask.
“What treats have you brought us, big man?” Ginny asked
“The finest vodka from my family's distillery!”
Draco looked at Hermione in question
“We can’t exactly turn down his hospitality now, can we?” She answered as they walked forward and accepted their drinks.