𝐌𝐎𝐂𝐇𝐀 | 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦

twenty-two

Hermione woke to the sun in her hair and Draco's arms around her. She yawned, blinking sleepily, and saw the glittering ring on her finger. Another wave of happiness surged through her and she looked at the sleeper beside her, smiling softly. He looked so calm like this. Hermione brushed a bit of his snowy hair out of his eyes, and he tilted his head toward her touch, even in his sleep.
    She lay there, not wanting to move or wake him up. At almost noon, he shifted, waking slowly. Hermione rolled over to look at him, and a brilliant smile spread across his face. "Good morning."
    "Good morning," she replied happily. "How did you sleep?"
    "Incredibly well. And you?"
    "Me too."
    He intertwined their fingers, looking at the band on her finger. "You're my fiancée."
    "Yes."
    She felt him smile into her shoulder. "I realized that we had almost died without getting married."
    She turned to look at him, and he raised his eyebrows, saying, "You'll be mine in the eyes of the law now."
    "I suppose I will," she said with a grin. Draco laughed and pulled her closer, but then a letter ran underneath the crack of their door with a whoosh and unraveled in front of them.
    "Oh, Merlin," Draco sighed, recognizing Pansy's loopy script on the Howler.
    Pansy's panicked voice came out of the paper at top volume, and Hermione winced. "I just got my court date- it's in two days! We're coming over."
    Then a quieter voice in the background, "Pans, calm down. They just got engaged. Wait, is that a Howler-"
    The letter dissolved into ash and Draco groaned. "So much for a slow morning."
    Hermione gave him a gentle kiss. "We've got the rest of forever for slow mornings."

    "We're here! Ginny and Blaise are on the way!" Pansy proclaimed, landing in their apartment and sounding incredibly unhinged. Hermione heard Theo behind her, trying to calm him down.
    "Sorry mate, couldn't stop her," Theo muttered to Draco, who was noticeably disheveled and making a larger-than-usual amount of coffee. He only grumbled in response, handing Theo a mug. He probably needed it just as much.
    "Hey, Pans," Hermione said with a yawn as she pulled on a sweater over her tank top. Pansy ran to her, blubbering incoherent things. Hermione let out a startled noise as she was engulfed in a huge hug. She patted Pansy's back carefully, sending Theo a pleading look. He just shook his head. "It'll be okay, don't worry."
    When Pansy finally detached from Hermione, Theo sat her down at the dining table. Draco wordlessly poured her a glass of something stronger and gave Hermione her usual cup of coffee. Hermione reached across the table to grab her friends' hand.
    "I'm just so worried about it," Pansy was saying. "This could be the end of everything for me."
    Theo rolled his eyes, but Hermione was giving her a sympathetic look. Draco sat down next to her with a cup of coffee and a carton of creamer as she said, "Don't worry, you're protected by the circumstances. I read up on it while I was in the hospital."
    "Yeah, and it's Kingsley," Draco said, taking a sip of his coffee. He made a face at the milky liquid, and Hermione slid her mug over to him without looking. Picking up her mug, he said, "He knows you. You'll be fine."
    "But what if I'm not?" she fretted. "They'll take my wand. I'll lose all of my business- no one wants to buy a ball gown from a murderer!"
    "I don't know, murderers can be quite inspired," Theo muttered. Hermione snorted, but Pansy didn't hear him.
    "I don't know what to do if it doesn't go well," she said.
    "It'll be just fine, Pansy. No one is going to take Abraxas's side against yours. He kidnapped Hermione, for fuck's sake. The beloved war herione. You'll be okay," Draco said. Hermione wrinkled her nose.
    "I am not a beloved war herione-"
    "Not the point," Draco interrupted.
    "Pansy!"
    Ginny Apparated into the apartment with a loud exclamation, and Blaise followed, looking equal parts annoyed and concerned. "I told Harry to come too. He's bringing Astoria."
    "Party at our house, I suppose," Draco muttered to Hermione. She sighed.
    At least they came in a timely manner. Harry arrived first, then Astoria soon after, dressed as impeccably as ever. Pansy had managed to calm down a bit.
    "Pansy, don't worry. You have several speakers on your behalf, and I spoke to Kingsley himself. He said that he made no promises, but to expect everything to work out," Astoria told her.
    "Fun morning?" Blaise muttered to Draco. Draco scowled at him, smoothing his hair. "Shove off."
    "The entire Auror office is prepared to testify on your behalf," Harry said. "It's going to be fine."
    "See? Even the Chosen One declares it so," Ginny said, patting Pansy's back. Harry's face pinkened.
   
    They went out for lunch at a Muggle restaurant, and Harry accompanied Hermione and Draco on the train. They had been taking Muggle transportation instead of Apparating recently, as the staff at St. Mungo's had recommended.
    "Thanks, Harry," Hermione said at the door. Draco had gone inside to check his laptop, expecting an email from Luna.
    "No problem. Oh, and I never got to say congratulations," he said, nodding at her ring. She smiled.
    "Thank you."
    Harry hesitated. Hermione noticed the conflict on his face and said, "Spit it out. What's wrong?"
    "Nothing," Harry said quickly. "Just-"
    He pulled a crumpled letter out of his pocket. Hermione's heart stalled for a moment when she saw her name scrawled across the front in very familiar handwriting. "Harry."
    "Just read it, okay? I know I'm breaking the rules with this one, but... I really think you should."
    He held it out to her. Hermione was still, but after a minute, she accepted the letter. The ink was smeared. She stared at the telltale sign of Ron's lefthandedness, a trait that Ginny shared.
    "It's nothing bad. I promise," Harry said earnestly.
    Hermione tore her eyes away from the paper to look at Harry, his green eyes pleading. She pressed her lips together, then pocketed the letter. If Harry wanted her to read this so badly- then she would. "Okay."
    "I'll talk to you later, then?" he asked.
    "Yeah," Hermione said.
    "Bye, Mione," he said, giving her a side hug.
    After he Apparated away, Hermione closed the door behind her and leaned against the counter, staring at the letter in her hands.
    "What were you two talking about?" Draco asked, breaking her out of her reverie. She looked up at him quickly, and he nodded toward the letter. "Mail?"
    "Yeah," she said, exhaling.
    He noticed the not-so-bright tone in her voice. "What's wrong? Who's it from?"
    "It's from Ron."