Evermore

Chapter Ten: The Fading of the Light

It was not a complete surprise to Harry when his wards finally failed on the second day of May, and Hermione came storming into the sitting room at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, with Ron lurking meekly behind her. Once she saw Harry—huddled on the couch and wrapped in its afghan, so as it would hide his pregnancy from all he wished not to see it—she let out a shout of exasperation and darted towards him, throwing her arms around him, to the point where Harry actually believed he would suffocate. Thankfully, once he looked to Ron for help, his best mate stepped in and helpfully pulled Hermione off of him, while Harry summoned Kreacher to bring in a tea tray for them all.

"Honestly, Ronald," Hermione said, glaring at her fiancé as she smoothed her blouse and skirt combo, and sat petulantly in the love seat beside the couch, crossing her legs at the knee, but nevertheless allowed Ron to sit upon the loveseats' arm. "Well, now, Harry, now that we're finally in the same room with you again..."

"Hermione," Ron said warningly, and she flushed pink. "Don't start. Kingsley'll be mad that we even managed to break through here in the first place. The last thing we need is the Minister for Magic on our tails now that we work for the government."

Harry blinked, thanking Kreacher minutely before he turned back to Ron and Hermione. "You're working for the government?" he asked.

Ron nodded. "Yeah, mate. I'm a head for one of the task forces in charge of bringing Death Eaters to Azkaban," he explained. "It'll look good on my resume for when I make Auror, and McGonagall signed a waiver so I don't have to graduate, which means I can focus all my time on the program itself."

Harry nodded. "And you, Hermione?"

"What else? I'm in training for the new division at the ministry," she said softly. "We've decided to call it, for now, at least, Muggle Civil Rights within the Wizarding World," she explained, and her eyes were shining with excitement. "I'm sort of the barrister within the organization, and you'd be surprised how much of a benefit Draco has been."

"Really?" Harry asked, surprised.

Hermione nodded. "Yes. Once Lucius and Narcissa found out that he and Neville were expecting their first grandchild, all they want to do is see him happy. Draco is the treasurer of sorts within the organization, rallying and networking other witches and wizards to donate as much as possible to the cause, or as much as he can, due to his pregnancy. It's really going along as best as can be expected, although there is some reluctance from the older Pure-Blood families within this new regime. Of course, having a reformed Pure-Blood among them is causing a lot of them to turncoat the old ways, thankfully."

Harry nodded. "I can understand that."

"We've also come to present you with this," Hermione said, handing him an ivory and cream-colored envelope, with drawn-up lace embellishments upon the sides and in the corners.

"Thanks," Harry replied, taking ahold of it and opening it carefully.

It was an invitation, written in black cursive, which read, You are cordially invited to attend the wedding of Miss Hermione Jean Granger and Mr. Ronald Bilius Weasley, to be held on the fifth of May 1998, at the home of Mr. Arthur Weasley and Mrs. Molly Weasley, the Burrow, located in Ottery St. Catchpole, in Devon, England. Reception to follow.

"You did say you'd come, mate," Ron said, as Harry raised his eyes to his best friend. "And, if I remember correctly, you also said you'd be Best Man."

Harry sighed, lowering the invitation. "Thanks, Ron," he said.

"Harry?" Hermione asked.

Harry hunched his shoulders. "It's just... I suppose I'm surprised at how much the Wizarding World has moved on without me," he said quietly.