The Marriage Decree

Chapter 98: Don't Verbally Attack the Minister of Magic; He Won't Like It.

Since the majority of the Hogwarts staff had been invited to the Ministry's war anniversary dinner, Minerva had told Minister Kingsley to choose eight he wanted, as she would need staff to supervise the remaining students for that Wednesday afternoon. She also informed him that she was not impressed with him holding the dinner on a school afternoon when the following Monday was a bank holiday and would have been perfect since there weren't any lessons. Now the Ministry would have to pay all the staff for a half-day when they had to catch up with missed lessons one Saturday morning in the future.

After third lesson, all staff and students that weren't attending the Ministry dinner enjoyed an early lunch at half-past eleven instead of enjoying their fourth lessons. Those that were, returned to their rooms to change into their black robes and readied themselves for the dinner. At the agreed-upon time of twelve o'clock, the eight professors and fifty-three students met in the foyer of Hogwarts, where the students split into eight groups, and then assigned to each of the professors.

Minerva quickly reminded the students that they are first and foremost Hogwarts students and as such should show everyone at the dinner how well behaved, respectful and mature they are whilst at the Ministry. Afterwards, each professor took their group of students to their classroom, where they supervised them through the Floo Network to the Ministry.

Once at the Ministry, there were about twenty Ministry officials holding clipboards with many pieces of parchments clipped into place, taking each person to their specific seat at their particular table. Hermione and Draco waited until all their students had been seated before asking the nearest Ministry official for their place.

The hall the Minister had chosen to host the dinner is the same hall he had selected for their reception party after their marriage, almost eleven months ago to the day. Their Ministry official leads them to one of the many large, round tables set up for the hundreds of expected guests. Hermione is surprised to find herself and Draco being sat at a table on the second row since she played a rather important part in the war and was giving a speech. However, after a glance at those who had made it to the first row, it was apparent who Kingsley wants front and centre for the photographers, it's the couples with babies or who are currently pregnant, and then a few specific people who fought in the war. He wouldn't want Hermione and Draco, two people who have made his last eleven months a nightmare and, as far as he's aware, aren't expecting.

"I think Pansy is looking for us." Draco leans closer, gesturing to where Pansy, Ron and their twins are sat at the same table as Harry, Ginny and James, and, surprisingly, Gregory and Megan.

"Did you know Gregory and Megan were back in the country?"

He shakes his head. "We should have known they would have gotten an invitation too, though." Lifting his hand to wave at Pansy who had found them.

"What are you doing over there?" She mouths.

Draco shrugs. "They don't know." He replies silently.

"What is she saying?" Hermione asks, having missed the first part of her sentence.

"She's asking why we're over here," Draco says, reading Pansy's lips as she speaks. "Now she's saying you have more right to be sat at the front tables than... Marietta?" He frowns, not knowing a Marietta.

"Marietta Edgecombe." Hermione sits taller, trying to spot the woman and' finding her sat elegantly beside her professional Quidditch player husband, a red-haired toddler sat on her lap, banging his tiny fists on the table.

Hermione remembers reading about their luxurious wedding in an old copy of the Daily Prophet they had managed to find whilst on the run in 1997. She'd later learned that their first child came five months later, and while she didn't like to judge other people, Hermione can't help but smile when she thinks about the traitorous former-DA member having a shotgun wedding in the middle of a war. The couple seems to be happy anyway, with their second child on the way, which is no doubt why they are sat on the front row tables.