“Leave it up to Granger to go and get married to a muggle.” Blaise complained as he attempted to park his car (he’d only just got his license after much bafflement around the exact controls of the muggle contraption).
“I saw it coming, you didn’t. Anyway, we don’t have time for this-” Theo tossed him a blue coat and a bouquet.
Making quick work of changing, they parted ways at the gate. “You look for her, and I’ll deal with the Muggle.” Theo delegated.
“You got it boss.” He affirmed and waded into the crowd.
A few minutes later saw him asking a pretty Indian lady dressed in a colorful sari for Hermione’s whereabouts. “I’m a school friend- I just wanted to give her a quick congratulations…”
The lady nodded (He mentally noted to ask for her- phone, is it called a phone?- number later). “Of course. She’s on the second floor in the changing room.”
He smiled innocently and thanked her.
He bounded up the stairs on his right, going down the large hallway to find a room labeled ‘Bride’s dressing’.
A knock. A greeting to come in. And there he finds Hermione decked up in a red sari he thought he’d see her wear for his best friend. She was looking down as she greeted him. When he didn't respond, she turned around, shocked to find him standing there.
“Blaise?”
“Hi Hermione. I always knew you liked Indian weddings.” He still remembered her checking out books about every other culture from the library. He also remembered his best friend sending him to get the same books after she returned them.
She looked away. “Why are you here?” And then an even more frightening thought. “Is he here?”
Blaise looked down at his shoes. “No. But we found out where he is now.”
No response.
“We’re here to take you to him.”
She jumped in her chair, heavy red sari and all. “What the heck Blaise? I’m getting married today!”
“Oh please, we all know you’re basically married to him already. This is a sham to you, and to us.”
“Well how would you know anything? He left me, maybe I’ve decided to move on-”
“Hermione. I haven’t seen you for years, but the one thing I can tell you clearly is that you have not decided to move on. We always used to joke that if soulmates were real, you and him were their role models.” Theo, Pansy, Harry, and Blaise had taken turns placing bets on them so often it was practically a tradition by the end of that godforsaken war.
“I-”
“He’s your home Hermione. People change, but I think even now I can see in your eyes that you haven’t gotten over him. You will never get over him. You’re each other’s everything.”
Her mehendi covered hands were fists at her sides. Her eyes were shiny. “If I was he wouldn’t have left me! Or left for me or whatever bullshit he left in that letter of his-”
“And that is something you can tell him when you see him. Please Hermione, You can’t say this muggle you’re marrying means anything to you compared to him.”
She snorted. And hesitated. “I- my fiance is nice but I-”
“You’re not marrying him because you love him.” He stated. It was a fact.
“I-I’m not. But! But. He’s nice and he likes me.”
He exploded. He’d suspected but this was next level Gryffindor bleeding heart. ”He’s ‘nice’ to you? Do you even love him, Hermione?”
Hermione looked away again. “Stop it Blaise. It’s too late- the guests are here, and the food is already ready and-”
“The food is already ready.” He mocked her under his breath, shaking his head.
“So it’d be better if- He’s. I- it’s too late. I need to move on with my life. I love him. Always, forever. But I can’t- I can’t-”
He stepped closer, and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“I’ll be in the car.” He left her to wrestle with the decision.
It was hers, and only hers, to make.
It’s only after the door closes behind him that Hermione opened her fists and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hands wrapped around the necklace around her neck.
Why? Why now? Why couldn’t he let her stay in her imaginary paradise? Why was her world collapsing?
On the other end of the venue, Theodore Nott was exhibiting his excellent acting skills.
He knocked on the door “Groom’s Dressing”. The Muggle should be in there. “Room service!” He called.
The door was unlocked and a black haired, brown-eyed Indian male was inside. He was good looking, Theo had to give him that.
He asked Theo in a gruff voice, “Can you iron my sherwani for me? I have to get ready.” Theo snapped his fingers, being the charming room service he was, and affirmed. “Of course sir!”
And so it started. He turned on the iron (thank god for Luna, who knew about the most random things. He remembered her going on about an ‘iron’ once).
Muggle Boy started rambling on about the wedding as he tried to primp up his hair and Theo ironed, pretending to listen. “She’s beautiful, man! I can’t believe she likes me. You know she was very hesitant about agreeing to the wedding, and I feel I’m not exactly married until I’ve gotten it down in law and until the minister says the vows. You know? I just have this feeling she might run.” Muggle Boy laughed as if it was a joke.
Theo laughed at him. She wouldn’t be Muggle Boy’s wife even if it was down in law. He’d seen how she looked at his best friend. The groom kept rambling. Gosh was he always like this or was it just the nerves? Should Theo be more empathetic? …Nah.
Looking his way, Theo saw Muggle Boy was turned away from him. Perfect. Spotting a bowl of green chutney in front of him. Theo continued his back and forth movements with the iron…after spilling the green dip on the sherwani.
Muggle Boy kept rambling for a minute. Two minutes.
…And then. “And so we’re having an Indian wedding…and-”
“What’s that smell, bro?” Muggle Boy cut off his own rambling.
“Oops.” There is a big green stain on the inside of the sherwani pocket.
Muggle Boy screamed in terror. “That’s a family heirloom you prat! What should I do- the wedding is in fifteen minutes- what should I do?”
Yeah, Hermione was definitely marrying this man to avoid hurting his feelings. Theo exaggerated a gasp. “I’m so sorry sir. I can…I can get it fixed for you if you like? It’ll take just two minutes!”
This seemed to calm Muggle boy down. “Yes…okay.”
Theo exited and took the ‘ruined’ sherwani with him.
Some time later, a knock resounded on the door and someone called “Room service!”.
Muggle Boy eagerly got up for his sherwani. Yes, yes he knew it was room service. He opened the door, and found neither the charming man he’d expected nor the sherwani.
The attendant seems surprised to see him. “What are you doing here sir? This is the groom’s room.” The attendant said, unsure.
“I am the groom!”
“But sir, the groom’s outside taking the seven circles with the bride?”
What? “What?” The charming man that had run away with his sherwani flashes in his mind. He must obviously have been his bride’s previous lover! Shit.
Hermione walked to the altar alongside her father, where Raj waited for her with a flower veil on his face. She’s about to take part in the fayre (Fay-rey).
Before marrying Raj, she’d read up on his culture and learned all the intricacies of an Indian marriage. It was fascinating. But fascination was far from what she felt as she was standing in front of the sacred fire.
The priest was tying a knot between her and Raj, and all she felt was anxiety.
An anxiety that something was going horribly wrong.
Gray eyes flashed in her mind’s eye. But she’d already turned Blaise down-
Raj gripped her hand and leaned in to her. “It’s me Hermione.” Her jaw hit the floor. The voice didn’t belong to Raj. It belonged to Theo.
She looked up at his flower-covered face in surprise. “Theo? How’d you get the sherwani? How are you here?”
“Blaise drove and the rest was child’s play. But that’s not the point-”
“You can’t use magic here that would be-”
And the priest told them to start the circles. What the heck?
“Hermione, Blaise is still outside. We’re here to take you to him. We know where he is- and we know that neither of you can live without the other. You can survive but you can’t live.”
They start walking around the fire. No way in hell was she getting married to Theo.
Her inner walls were crumbling but she tried to hold herself together.
“Well, he’s seems like he can, he left me and I tried to find him but-”
“Shut up. You and him are the most stubborn people I have met in my life. Now hurry up and run away with me.”
“Theo- everyone’s here I can’t just-”
“You’re going to throw your life away for other’s opinions?” Silence. They kept walking.
“Hermione, I have seen you through war, I have seen you after, and I have seen you with him. You’re one of my best friends, and I need you to know that this might be something you will regret for the rest of your life. The car was at the door, I was here to take you, and you could reach him by nightfall. But you didn’t.”
She gripped his hand harder.
“Hermione, please reply quickly, I’m already married to Luna. I’m pretty sure this is a sin. And the people here are going to kill me if they find out it's me.”
As if waiting for a cue, Raj came and started shouting. “Stop the fayre!”
Everyone stood stunned. Theo froze. Hermione froze.
“Hermione!” He whispered again. Her last chance.
Gray eyes flash through her mind. Strong arms. Love. Home. him. Her everything. Her walls fell down. The love for him she’d blocked off using the same occlumency he’d taught her himself came flowing back. A tear traced down her eyes under her own veil.
Emotions she’d pent up after her break down since he’d left came pouring out. She missed him. She loved him. This felt all wrong because it wasn’t him she was marrying.
From under her veil, she saw her parents, Raj’s parents, her relatives, all staring. Then she looked at Theo.
No regrets.
She took Theo's hand and made one selfish decision of her life.
She bolted.
It was hard in a heavy Indian sari, but it was definitely possible.
Blaise rolled up with the car on the other end of the aisle and on cue, the Indian trumpets began playing. She was going Home. Finally.
Theo stumbled after her, laughing and waving. Blaise rolled down the window and saluted the colorfully dressed Poorva (Raj’s cousin).
Her guests (and poor Raj) screamed in the background. Her ears hurt from the heavy jewelry. Her parents cried out in astonishment. And none of it mattered. All she saw were gray eyes. Draco.
She bomb dived into the car. Theo took shotgun. And off took the car.
She laughed as Blaise turned up the music. She felt free.
And then the other shoe came crashing down. They were speeding on the main street when Blaise commented offhandedly. “Oh yeah, ‘Mione, we have a problem.”
“Now what?” She was afraid of the answer.
“We saved you from your tragedy of a marriage. But we don’t know if Draco’s married yet.”
“What?” She was going to kill someone.
“Woah, woah. We’re sure he wouldn’t have-”
Yeah, she was either getting home by the end of the day or killing Theodore and Blaise.
As soon as the war ended, Draco had left.
He’d left behind a note, so all Hermione was left with were dead friends, alive (but depressed friends), a broken world, and the one person that mattered telling her he’d walked out forever (but he couldn’t tell her why).
So after searching the ends of the Earth for him, she’d broken. And her friends had tried to talk it out with her. But eventually, everything got so painful she’d went to go stay with her parents (the only good thing that had happened since the end was their memories being restored).
And then Theo and Blaise had brought it all tumbling back to her. She looked at them now, walking in front of her in matching blue coats.
The sunset was streaked with warmer colors in front of them. Her red sari weighed her down as she tried to catch up to her companions.
After talking to a house elf at the door, they arrived in the courtyard of a small villa within a muggle village. A tall, blond figure cut a black-coated figure in the sky.
Her heart stopped. He turned around.
His eyes landed on Blaise and Theo first. Smiles were barely traded when, in traditional gang style, they tackled him and threatened him for going MIA.
And then his gaze landed on her. He looked dazed.
She played along. She lowered her veil, and took small steps towards him. She leaned forward, he leaned forward. His eyes were fluttering shut when she turned around and shoved him in the chest. “How dare you? You realize what went over me when I realized you were gone? Do you?” She screamed.
He shook his head. The absolute bastard. “You prat! I almost married someone!” He looked down at the ground.
“I-I’m sorry. I had an unbreakable bond with Kingsely to get out of the UK as soon as the war ended. I wasn’t supposed to have contact with any of you.”
“So I came to Scotland and started teaching kids Chemistry during the day and inventing potions at night-” He kept rambling.
“Are you the anonymous potioneer the potion society keeps getting excited over?” Theo butt in.
Draco ignored him as he looked down at her. “Hermione, I wouldn’t have left you if I could help it. But it was the only way he told me you’d be safe.”
She leaned into him. They had a lot to talk about, but it’s clear now he hadn’t left her of her own will. None of it mattered now that she is with him again.
“I would kill Kingsley if he wasn’t already dead and it wasn’t wrong to speak ill of the dead. I looked for you everywhere. I think I went insane until I was deported to my parents house by Harry.” She hated this.
The minister had given them not only false assurances of a life together, but also lied (I hope you find him soon) when he saw her broken and searching for him.
“He’s dead?” Draco asked, surprised. “No, of course he is. I’m still standing.” Unbreakables dissolved with death.
She surged forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I missed you.”
“Woah woah. Don’t we get a hug? We saved you from marrying the muggle dunderhead.” Blaise chimes in.
“You almost married someone?” Draco asks as if the heavy red sari just registered. Did you get over me?
His fingers instinctively found their way to a simple gold necklace he’d given her years ago. It was something that she couldn’t part with, even as she tried to convince herself she’d forgotten this. You wore this on your wedding day? His expression seemed to ask.
“I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. And he seemed nice, and I was trying to get over you and nothing was working-”
His mouth twitched. “So you thought the obvious thing to do was marry someone else wearing a necklace I gave you?”
It sounded stupid in retrospect. But she wasn’t going to admit that in front of Theo and Blaise.
“And you? Are you in love with anyone…?”
He looked away. “Uh...Yes.”
Her arms loosened around his neck. Her heart broke. It sank. It shredded. It tore. It-
“Who?” She forced the word past her lips.
“You.” He grinned. She hit him upside the head.
“Ow!”
“Look away Theo, Blaise. We need to make up for those lost years.”
She kissed him.
Her kiss was a question. Forever? His was an answer. Forever.
When his arms wrapped around her it felt like coming home. Finally.
And then she popped the question, because it wasn’t really a question. “Let’s get married, I’m dressed for it anyway.” He laughed into her hair.