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Second Chances	By : ShigeSato Category: Harry Potter Crossovers > Het - Male/Female Views: 2966 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, settings or named spells/objects in the Harry Potter franchise. They are the intellectual property of JK Rowling and Warner Bros. I make no profit from this story.

Chapter List
- 11
- 12
- 13
It was the night of the party, and Hermione was in full-on Organization Mode.
Theo had taken a step back once he'd realized just how much she took control. She'd told him that it was easier to let her get on with it and do everything her own way than to try and help, because that only ended up taking longer when she ended up redoing whatever it was he'd just finished doing. In her defence, the place looked absolutely spectacular, the old and previously dusty ballroom now bedecked with bright chandeliers, beautifully painted walls and a shimmering dance floor enchanted to look like ice. There were sculptures and statues made from ice, some of which Theo recognized as characters from poems or novels, and others which were alien to him. A bar had been erected at the far end of the room with magical goblets which refilled themselves, and beside it was a raised stage with enchanted instruments which would play the entire night. The whole thing would be more than worthy of a pureblooded gala thrown by Narcissa Malfoy, and that was certainly saying something – Hermione had a knack for this.
"You know there's only going to be about ten people here," Theo said, gesturing at the grandeur as Hermione fixated on attempting to fix a broken sconce with her wand. "You didn't have to go all-out."
"I want this to be special," she replied, not looking at him, firmly pulling at the sconce to check her reparations. "It might be just a gathering of our close friends but it's also a chance to celebrate everything we've achieved this year, you know? And I think it merits at least a little effort."
Theo leaned in and kissed the top of her head. "You've done a fantastic job."
"Doing. Not past tense yet," she answered, pulling out of his grasp, her eyes fixed on the ceiling as she noticed a hanging spiderweb and promptly Vanished it.
"Is there anything I can help with?" Theo asked, looking around at the impeccably perfect space and wondering what constituted a stupid question. Hermione took a beat to turn and smile at him, and he knew she was trying to be patient.
"Just go and get dressed," she replied, "everyone will be arriving pretty soon."
Theo nodded, bowed briefly in mockery and departed, and Hermione stuck her tongue out in his direction and focused once again on her task. She'd really wanted everything to be perfect, so she'd spent a good part of the last week going over all the main thoroughfares in the house, dusting, cleaning and reorganizing. It was too early to do any kind of real restoration or change too much, but she felt like she'd spent a very productive week making the manor presentable. Theo, and his father before him, had not exactly been sticklers for presentation, so she'd had her work cut out for her.
Nott Manor had turned out to be much more palatable than Theo had made it sound. Memories of the Malfoys' home still haunted her, and she'd worried about what would happen if the architecture was similar. It turned out she needn't have worried at all, as Nott Manor was thoroughly different inside and out. The grounds were much bigger, but not as well maintained as the meticulously arranged flowerbeds Narcissa Malfoy had cultivated. The house was in a Roman style, very open with marble floors and ceilings and plenty of light and space. It had been thoroughly neglected, but given a little time and a lot of work, Hermione thought it had great potential to be a beautiful home once again.
Theo reappeared just as she finished lighting the last of the enchanted candles and stood back to survey her work. She walked over and took his hands – he looked breathtaking in a sleek set of dress robes obviously tailored to fit. A brief memory of Ron's maroon monstrosity from fourth year floated through her head, and she had to push it away to stop herself from laughing. Theo's dress robes were the exact opposite – beautiful flowing silk, in a satin black colour that shimmered almost silver when he moved. It set off his messy black hair and brought out his sparkling eyes, making him look more handsome than ever. Hermione couldn't believe she'd spent seven years in the same school as this man without ever really seeing him – now, she found it impossible to tear her eyes away.
"Haven't worn them in a while, so they might need to be resized a bit…" Theo offered, inspecting his sleeve with some scrutiny. "Do you think it looks alright?"
Unable to speak, Hermione nodded, a slow smile spreading over her face as her eyes swept across him. She stepped into his arms and pressed a long, sultry kiss to his lips. "I'm so glad you're mine," she whispered, and brought her forehead to his. He laughed and wrapped his arms around her.
They were interrupted by the loud, grand echo of the doorbell, followed by the musical instruments starting up as the clock turned nine. Hermione looked up at Theo, who raised his eyebrows. "This is it, then. Ready?"
"Yeah, I think so," she replied, taking a last look around the ballroom and twining her hand into his, and together they swung open the grand door.
Behind it waited Blaise and Ginny, hand in hand, Blaise in an extravagant set of robes and Ginny a brightly coloured evening dress, and Pansy, Goyle and Millie, in subdued colours and looking as if they were trying to hide behind their friends. Hermione was reminded of the first time they had invited the Slytherins to a party and they'd come in very anxious and awkward. Just as she had then, Pansy muscled past them all and headed straight for the alcohol – but the other four stepped in, looking around the grand entrance with wide eyes.
"Whew, you've done this place up nicely," Blaise commented, "it looked awful last time I was here."
"All Hermione's doing," Theo said, holding his hands up. "The woman's a machine. She's got really big plans for this place, apparently – I get to just sit back and watch it all happen."
"That's Hermione," Ginny said, and Hermione huffed indignantly. "He's right, though, you've done an insane job on this place," she added, and the brunette smiled.
"Come on in, everyone," she said, and showed them into the main ballroom behind her.
"Holy crap," Blaise exclaimed, and Ginny simply stared. "You got all this together in a week?"
"Well, it wasn't too hard," Hermione replied, blushing. "I just had to do a few enchantments and some basic Transfiguration…"
"Please, organize every single ball my mother asks me to host in future," Blaise begged her, and to her surprise, Goyle spoke up from behind him. "Yeah, me too. This is incredible."
"Thanks, Goyle," Hermione replied, as Theo wrapped an arm around her waist proudly.
"I think it's probably about time you called me Greg," he said with a grin. "Everyone else does."
"Greg, then," she said, and smiled back at him.
Just then, the doorbell went again, and Hermione was forced to leave her guests to fend for themselves. Theo detached himself from her and went to get drinks with Blaise and Ginny, so she headed to the door alone. It felt strange, walking in such a nice outfit to the door of a grand pureblood manor and thinking she was the hostess – soon, this would be her house. It was all very new to her, but she loved the idea of holding many more parties like this one. She'd always loved being a hostess, as it gave her control over the proceedings, but it had been difficult in her parents' house when they were Muggles and her friends magical. She couldn't wait to show her parents her new home – if and when they got their memories back. She tried not to dwell on that, but it was always at the back of her mind.
"Evening, Granger," drawled Malfoy as she opened the door. He was dressed impeccably and had brought a bottle of fine champagne with him, which he offered her with a bow.
"Draco," she said politely, taking the bottle, and stepped back to allow him to pass. "Glad you could make it."
He raised an eyebrow and stepped inside. "This place used to look like shit. Good job with it."
"Thanks. It took all week, but I've been trying hard."
"You should fix up the Manor when you're done. That still looks like shit."
Hermione wasn't sure how to respond to that, and it all still felt a little awkward, being alone together, so with a polite nod Draco swiftly made his way into the ballroom to find the others while Hermione headed to the kitchen to drop off the bottle. She'd set the spell in there, so all she had to do was pour the champagne into one of the enchanted containers and the goblets at the bar would fill up on their own. It was a neat little charm she'd found that had proven very useful, though it had taken her a whole day to get it strong enough to last the night.
Not long later, Seamus and Neville arrived wearing matching silk ties – and they'd brought Dean, Parvati and Padma with them. Hermione didn't mind, of course, but she'd thought it would only be their small circle of friends, so she hurried to inform Theo that their little gathering might not actually end up being so little. If anyone else in their group had happened to tell, then they might have more guests than they'd bargained for. Theo, luckily, shrugged and said the more the merrier – it wasn't like they were short for space, after all.
The pragmatic side of Hermione which longed for order with all things at all times was screaming at the sudden change, but she determinedly shut it down. It was a party, and she was going to enjoy it. The doorbell went off again and Hermione went to answer, praying it was Luna and nobody else.
Her prayers were half-answered. She opened the door and Luna drifted past her, smiling sweetly and wearing the most ridiculous hat she'd ever seen. It was like a metal detector on top of her head. Hermione let her pass without comment and, distracted by the hat, almost closed the door before realizing there were two more people behind it.
"May we come in?"
She knew that voice. With delight, she turned to see a familiar head of black hair and a redhead with an apologetic grin awaiting her. Immediately, she schooled her face into an I'm-cross-with-you-Ron look. She wouldn't let him off easily, not after he'd been so angry for so long.
"Of course you may, Harry. I'm so happy to see you!" She stepped in front of Ron as he tried to follow Harry inside. "Ronald, I'd like a word with you."
"Look, 'Mione…" Ron began, shuffling his toes and looking awkwardly at the floor, "I know I went off the handle a bit. I'm sorry. It's taken me a while to get used to you dating a Slytherin, that's all. But I'll be good from now on, I swear. If you like the git then there must be something about him."
"I'm glad to hear that you trust my judgment, but there can't be any more of these outbursts," Hermione said, putting her hand on Ron's arm. "I love you and I want us all to be friends, but it's really hard when you keep going off on me like that."
"I'm working on it, 'Mione," Ron promised, and just like that, they were hugging and it was all forgotten. Harry looked on happily and braced himself as Hermione hugged him tightly too.
"So how did you guys find out about tonight? Did Ginny tell you?" Hermione asked, waving them indoors.
"No, actually, Luna did," Harry replied, looking up at the arched ceiling with interest. "She said she owed me one from inviting her to the Slug Club that one time, and Ron wanted to come along and apologise anyway, so we figured it'd be okay. It's okay, right?"
"Of course it is!" Hermione replied, just as Theo came hurrying out of the ballroom, looking around curiously.
"There you are," he said with relief, and came over, registering Harry and Ron's presence with surprise and then caution. "Evening, Potter, Weasley. Are you here to join the festivities?"
"Theo. Please, it's Harry, and we would be delighted, if you'll have us," Harry said, and held out his hand. Theo looked gobsmacked but took it and shook it firmly. "Sorry to just drop in like this."
"Not at all. I suspect Hermione is very happy to see you," Theo remarked smoothly. Hermione put her arm around his waist and held him close, and he grinned at her. "I was just coming to look for you, you'd been gone a while. Now I can see why."
"Nott – er – Theo," Ron began, clearing his throat. "I'm – well, I'm sure you've heard from Hermione that I've been a bit of a git, and I wanted to say I'm sorry. It's all a bit new for me, this inter-House stuff, and I know that's no excuse but it's still strange to think of you two together, and I flew off the handle and shouldn't have, and now I'm rambling…"
"It's okay," Theo held up his hands. "I get it. We didn't hang out for years, there were some pretty strong differences and now that's kind of hard to let go of. It's still weird for me some days, too. I still feel shocked every day that Hermione and I are together – but it's not something that's going to change, so we'll all have a long time to get used to it."
Hermione beamed, and Ron cracked a smile, even as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"With that over, shall we have a dance?" Theo asked, and Hermione nodded vigorously and led the way for the four of them into the ballroom.
It seemed they had no more uninvited guests, and the night progressed entirely as Hermione had hoped. Couples danced (including Millie and Greg, who, judging by his hand on her hip, seemed to have finally gotten the hint that she liked him), the musical instruments kept playing without a hitch, Theo chatted with Harry, Ron and Blaise at the bar, and even Pansy and Draco looked like they were having a little fun, albeit they'd both imbibed copious amounts of alcohol. At one point, Pansy approached Hermione with a drunken stumble, put a hand on her shoulder and said, "You throw a good bash, Granger, I'll give you that. You might not be the worst person to hang around with after all."
"Uh, thanks?" Hermione replied, and Pansy belched and staggered off again without another word.
Just after that little occurrence, Hermione's thoughts about whether she should find something for Pansy to eat were interrupted by a whirlwind of red hair as Ginny grabbed her arm. "We're going somewhere private. Now." Before she could protest, she found herself dragged away from the ballroom and into the corridor that led to the kitchen.
"Blaise and I are going to get married. Tonight," Ginny announced, her face flush with excitement.
At first, Hermione didn't quite understand those words in that order. When she'd had a second to process the actual sentence that had come out of her best friend's mouth, her face adopted an expression of shock and bewilderment. "What?!"
"Tonight. Look around you, it's beautiful what you've done here, we couldn't ask for a better set-up for it," Ginny reeled off, her hands waving wildly as she spoke. "There's dancing, and music, and drinks and all our best friends. Mum will kill me for not inviting her, of course, but honestly she was always going to make a bigger deal out of my wedding than I wanted anyway. She'll get over it."
"Wh-OK, let's go back to the beginning here," Hermione said placatingly, wondering if she'd somehow missed something along the way. "First: when did you decide to get married?"
"About twenty minutes ago," Ginny replied breathlessly. "We were dancing and I mentioned this felt like some crazy high-society wedding reception, and Blaise said what if it was our crazy high-society wedding reception, and I asked what the fuck he meant, and he said getting married was what the fuck he meant and was I up for it, and I said damn straight I'm up for it, so he said, right then Weasley, you're on, we're doing this – then we snogged for a while – and then I came to find you."
"That sounds – romantic," Hermione forced out, with a pained expression. She knew how headstrong the younger girl could be and she didn't want to push the wrong buttons here. "Look, Gin, you said yourself you barely know Blaise, are you sure this is a good idea?"
"Hermione," Ginny said, and put her hands on Hermione's arms, looking at her with serious eyes. "I know Blaise and I haven't been together long, and I know I don't really know him all that well. I couldn't tell you what his favourite food is, or what his mother's called, or where he likes to go on holiday."
"So don't you agree that this seems a little fast?"
"But that's the point," Ginny said, stressing every word. "Our relationship has been fast from the get-go. I know I love him, and we have great fun together and a really good connection – both psychological and sexual. The tiny little details, the likes and dislikes and quirks, those we'll discover about each other along the line. What matters is that I fundamentally know Blaise's character and he knows mine, and it feels right to be together. This is just another step in our awesome relationship and I'm ready to take it."
Hermione found herself blown away by the force of the redhead's words. She smiled weakly – although her brain could come up with a thousand reasons why her friend shouldn't do this right now, it wouldn't help because her mind was made up, and honestly, a part of her really loved what Ginny was saying. The idea of finding your soulmate and just taking a leap because you wanted to, and you could, was at its heart an incredibly romantic thing, and Hermione couldn't fault Ginny for taking that risk.
"I'm only going to ask you one more time, Ginny. Are you sure?"
"I'm absolutely sure," she replied with a huge grin. "This is happening. I'm so excited."
"I'm excited too," Hermione confessed, and she really was. Now that the shock and confusion had given way to, 'well, it's Ginny's life and she'll do what she wants', Hermione felt happy for her friend, and full of excitement that her little ball had turned into so much more. "But let's hold on here for a second. How do wizarding weddings work? Don't you need a marriage licence, or someone to officiate? How are we going to organize that?"
"What's a marriage licence?" Ginny asked, confused.
"It's something Muggles have," Hermione explained, wondering how best to communicate its purpose. "It's like – a document saying that you're allowed to get married, that they've checked the records and you're not married to anyone else or anything."
Ginny burst out laughing. "Muggles! What on earth will they think of next – a piece of paper saying I'm allowed to get married?! There's definitely no such thing for wizards. You just – do it, do the spell – and if it doesn't work then that's how you know someone's already married."
"Well, alright then," Hermione shrugged. "What about a minister? Someone to marry you?"
"That's where we're lucky," Ginny said, her eyes shining. "A long time ago, it was written into magical law that the families of the Sacred Twenty-Eight could officiate their own weddings, because there were plenty of would-be assassinations and other stuff back in the day that came with the big open affairs. Some of the families just wanted peace and quiet in a small place, and so they forced through this passage that says it'll be official if another member of the family does it. So, because the Weasleys are Sacred Twenty-Eight, and he luckily gatecrashed your party, Ron can do it for us!"
"You think Ron will agree to that?" Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow.
"He will if he doesn't want to be on the receiving end of one of my Bat-Bogey hexes," Ginny replied curtly. "He owes me about a thousand favours anyway so I'll call them all in. He'll agree, it'll be fine."
"So – what else do we need, then?" Hermione asked. "Dress, cake, flowers…?"
Ginny waved a hand dismissively. "I don't care about any of that shit. Just me and Blaise, and someone to marry us – and if you'll agree, I want you to be my bridesmaid, and act as a witness."
"Of course I will," Hermione replied, taking Ginny's hand. It was beginning to hit her that her friend was actually about to do this. "I can't believe – this is insane."
"I know, it's brilliant," Ginny replied, grinning. "Come on, let's go and find the groom, who should hopefully have managed to sober up his best-man-to-be by now."
"Draco?" Hermione asked, and Ginny nodded. They left the darkened corridor and entered the main ballroom once again, the sound of soft music and laughter filling their ears. Hermione felt almost giddy. It was Ginny's wedding day. On reflection, she thought her best friend had been right – Molly would go absolutely round the bend once she found out her only daughter had gotten married without her. Thankfully, her train of thought was interrupted by the appearance of Blaise and a very cynical-looking Draco. Blaise bounced up beside them and gave Ginny a kiss on the cheek.
"We all set?" he asked, with a wink at Hermione. "Pretty exciting, isn't it?"
"It's certainly that," she replied with a helpless smile and a laugh. "I guess your relationship has been wild from the start, so why not keep it that way?"
"See? She gets it," Blaise said, nudging Draco with his elbow.
"I'm not saying you shouldn't do it," Draco said, holding his hands up placatingly and shaking his head. "Just asking why, of all people, it has to be a Weasley. You know your kids will have red hair, right? That's not going to be a good look with olive skin."
"Rude," Ginny sniffed with a hint of humour in her voice, "I'm right here, you know. Anyway, at least our kids won't be pasty pale with a stick up their ass."
Blaise snorted, and Draco raised an eyebrow good-naturedly. "At least she's feisty, I'll give you that, Blaise." Then he turned his attention to Hermione. "You can't seriously think this is a good idea, Granger? You?"
Hermione shrugged. "They'll do what they want. I learned it's best not to argue with Ginny a long time ago. Besides, she gave me some pretty good reasons. I'd advise you just to sit back, watch the fireworks and be happy for them."
"Well, if it's got the Granger seal of approval I'll shut up about it," Draco said, and crossed his arms, looking around the room. "Where's that ginger twat who's going to marry them, then?"
"Don't call Ron that," Hermione bristled, her old instincts rising to the surface as she defended her friend from Draco's barbs.
"No, Hermione, he's right, that about sums him up," Ginny answered, scanning the room. "There! He's talking to Luna at the back. I'll go and fetch him."
"I've changed my mind about this," Draco announced after she'd hurried off. "I like her."
Hermione scoffed, and the three of them turned to watch the show that was no doubt about to occur when Ginny told Ron of her plans.
"What's happening over here?" an innocent voice manifested beside them, and arms snaked themselves around Hermione's waist. She smiled and leaned back into Theo's touch. "What are we all looking at?"
"You'll see in about – ooh, four seconds," Hermione replied, just as Ron's face began to go red, and sure enough the shout reverberated across the room just a couple of seconds later.
"MARRIED? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"
"And there it is," she said in a matter-of-fact tone, turning from the scene to look up at Theo behind her as the whole hall fell silent of chatter, the soft music the only backdrop to Ron's rising temper. He looked utterly dumbstruck by the proceedings, and the neck of his robes was slightly askew. Hermione tidied it for him as he gazed down at her in shock.
"What – did you – when?" Theo's eyes moved from Hermione to Blaise to Draco, all of whom watched him with amused expressions. "Since when?"
Blaise looked at his watch. "Since around half an hour ago, pal. Thought the moment seemed right so, why not?"
"I mean – should I list the reasons, or…?" Theo sputtered, looking back down at Hermione for support, but she shrugged.
"I've been there, said it, done it. They aren't changing their minds," she reasoned with her boyfriend. "Just be happy for them. They know what they're doing."
Theo gaped wordlessly at her, and back at Blaise. "I never thought you'd turn out like your mum, Blaise."
"I don't intend to," he replied, straightening his robes as he prepared to walk over to where the confrontation had now grown to include a crowd of several people. "This one's fast, true, but I've got a feeling it's going to stick, or I wouldn't be doing it. Besides, didn't you ask Hermione to move in with you this week? Seems to me you're being a little hypocritical there, Theo."
"You know, he's right," Hermione said, watching Blaise as he left the three of them and strode off to break up the argument between his future bride and her brother. Theo smiled down at her guiltily and she giggled. "We can't exactly talk, we've moved as fast as they have."
"You're moving into Nott Manor?" Draco's voice sounded almost broken behind her. Hermione cursed her thoughtlessness and turned to face him – his expression was defiant, but she could see the hurt behind it.
"Shit, Draco – mate, I'm sorry, I didn't think Blaise would just come out and say it like that," Theo said, running his hand through his hair agitatedly. "I was going to sit down and tell you properly this time, man to man. It only happened a few days ago."
"It's alright," the blonde said, shaking his head. "Just give me a moment to gather my thoughts, would you? Call me when the wedding's about to happen." With that, he muscled past the both of them and fled the scene as quickly as his Malfoy pride would allow.
"Well, now I feel awful," Hermione said, her eyes downcast. "I didn't even think about the fact that he was right there…"
Theo sighed. "Nothing we can do about it. Honestly, there's always going to be situations like this when he's hanging around with us, but it's on him to decide if he can handle it or not. We can't feel bad for Draco's sake about every development our relationship takes."
"You're right," Hermione replied, and sank back into his arms, reveling in the feel of his soft robes and warm touch around her. Theo placed a gentle kiss on her head. "I can't wait to move in for real."
"Me neither," he replied, "this week has been utterly fantastic. I love you."
"Love you, Theodore Nott," Hermione replied, and leaned up to kiss him, meeting his lips and running her hands through his gorgeous, thick hair. He responded eagerly, pulling her to him by the waist and playfully nipping at her lip, deepening the kiss. Neither of them noticed Neville approaching awkwardly from the other side of the room.
"I hate to break this up, but it looks like you're wanted over at the – well, at the fight," he said, and the pair of them jumped apart, smoothing down their clothes in embarrassment. Neville smirked. "You both look great. Come on."
"I don't get it!" Ron was whining as they approached. "Why a Slytherin? Why him?"
Ginny and Blaise stood on the left, his arm around her. Harry warily watched from the sidelines, ready to step in and pull Ron back if necessary, and Ron himself was red-faced and confrontational, but to his credit hadn't yet stomped out of the room.
"Because I love him, you troglodyte," Ginny replied forcefully, "not that that's something you'd understand."
"I've been in love!" Ron protested. "Doesn't mean I understand whatever the hell this is – I'm still sure Zabini's tricking you somehow, and I don't want to marry my baby sister off to a snake!"
"Well, if you won't do it, three things will happen," Ginny said matter-of-factly, crossing her arms and leaning back towards Blaise, who looked surprisingly passive in the face of Ron's insults. She lifted a hand and counted on her fingers. "One, I'll hex you into next week right here, right now. Two, I'll never defend you to Mum for anything you do ever again. And three, I'll go straight to the shop with Blaise tomorrow and get George to do it anyway, so all you'll accomplish is delaying this for one evening, and forcing us to have to do it in Weasley's Wizard Wheezes instead of Theo and Hermione's gorgeous ball."
Ron's face slowly purpled while he searched for words, aware all eyes were on him. Hermione was sure he saw the reason in Ginny's argument and he knew better than anyone else that she'd do what she wanted regardless. He just had to decide whether he was going to be a part of it, or whether he wanted to foist the task off to George instead – because without a doubt, George would agree, and they both knew it. Eventually, with a pained sigh, he closed his eyes.
"I don't like this. But I'll do it, on the condition you don't breathe a word to Mum that I did it, deal?"
Ginny squealed and clapped. "Yes! Yes, deal. Thanks, Ron!"
"Doesn't mean I approve. Or that I like you, Zabini," he added quickly, as his sister engulfed him in a hug. "But Merlin knows I don't want my sister's wedding to be held next to the Puking Pastilles shelf."
Blaise nodded with a faint smirk and turned to the rest of their friends, who were all gathered, most with expressions of shock or delight. "Well, there you have it – you've all been invited to our wedding, which will take place in about, ooh, three minutes up on that stage by the bar." All of them aside from Pansy clapped heartily, and Seamus whistled. He frowned and scanned the crowd. "Where's my best man got to?"
"He stepped out for some air. I'll fetch him," Theo offered, with a look at Hermione that said 'I've got this'. Hermione squeezed his hand and let him head out the way Draco had gone, silently willing him on. She felt awful for how their conduct had affected him, particularly because she still felt like his hurt was her fault for getting involved with him in the first place, and she hoped that Theo would be able to assuage his pain a little.
The newly chattering group of friends headed over towards the stage, and Ginny led a disgruntled Ron by the hand after them. Hermione was proud of Ron's conduct – although he'd had a temper tantrum, he'd recovered quickly and had actually seen reason while angry, which in the past would have been impossible for him. She was pleased to see he had meant what he said when he told her he was working on managing his temper.
Harry lingered behind the crowd a little. Concerned, Hermione stepped over to him as the rest of their friends began to move the instruments aside and set up the stage. "Hey. Are you alright?"
"Yes. No. Sort of," Harry replied, half-frowning. "You ever feel like you're in a dream, even though you know perfectly well it's reality?"
"I think I know the feeling," Hermione replied, putting a comforting hand on his arm. "Are you still in love with her?"
"Merlin, no," Harry exclaimed, shaking his head. "It's not that. It's just – she really grabs life by the balls, you know? She goes after what she wants and she takes it, doesn't matter what anyone else says. I'm standing here watching my ex-girlfriend have a spontaneous wedding to a Slytherin, and my life hasn't changed at all since the end of the war. It's just making me think."
"I know what you mean," Hermione sighed. "Her zest for life makes all of us look like slugs in comparison. But to be fair, she's certainly found her match in Blaise. He seems to keep up with her better than anyone else I've ever seen."
"Do you ever think you should be doing something different?" Harry asked, his voice faraway. "Ginny just – she gets what she wants, because she goes for it. Do you think all of us are capable of that – being spontaneous, and just telling life what we want?"
Hermione considered her answer carefully. "Yes and no," she finally responded in a measured tone. "All of us are capable of spontaneity, but it doesn't always work out for the best. Look at me and Malfoy. With that said, though, and being totally honest, we're eighteen and we've just come through a war. Who's to say what's the best way to live our lives? Every day through last year could've been our last. At the end of the day, if there's something you really want, you should reach for it." Harry's frown deepened, and she continued earnestly. "I've done things this year that I never thought I'd be brave enough to do. I messed up badly when it comes to Malfoy, but I was trying to do what I thought would make me happy. And as ill-advised as that whole thing was, it led to me discovering what I really wanted, which was Theo. Now he means more to me than I can even rightly express, and I'm moving in with him come summer and starting to plan our lives together. So even if you're taking a risk, doing something nobody expects – who knows what your mistakes could lead to?"
Harry's eyes focused back on her, and he smiled. "Thanks, Hermione. I'm really glad we're friends."
"Me too," she replied, and gave him a quick hug.
"By the way, did you say you're living here now?" he asked as they broke apart, and she grinned. "Yeah. Theo asked me a few days ago. Do you think I'll make a good lady of the manor?"
"I think you'll finally have space to store all your books," Harry answered with a grin, and Hermione punched him on the arm, deciding not to tell him that Theo had said almost the same thing. She viewed owning a lot of books as a very good thing, and privately she thought Nott Manor would be greatly improved with the additions she'd make to its library.
"We're starting!" called Ginny, and with a final glance at Harry, Hermione headed over to the stage, pleased to see Theo and Draco talking as they entered from the corridor. Perhaps, she thought as she took her place behind Ginny, things were finally starting to work themselves out.
"Alright, I really don't want to do this so I'm keeping it short," Ron said curtly, holding Ginny's hand out in front of him. She stuck her tongue out at her brother, but didn't push her luck, probably aware that he was already on the edge of just walking out. "Zabini, take my sister's hand, would you?"
"Gladly," Blaise said in his smoothest Italian tone, and gently took Ginny's hand in his own. Hermione could see the purest admiration and love in his eyes as he looked at her and had to concede that despite her initial reaction, this thing really might have a shot at working. She grinned at Theo, watching from the front of the crowd, and was surprised to see his eyes fixed firmly on her, instead of the bride and groom. His handsome features curved into a smile when he saw her looking, and she still struggled to believe that this man was hers. He made everything worth it.
"So – I guess now I just cast the spell?" Ron asked.
"First you have to conjure the ribbon, Weasley," Draco said, making no effort to hide his disdain for Ron. "Here, I doubt your Transfiguration skills are up to the task." He swept his wand in an arc and a length of silver silk ribbon cascaded from the end of it. He handed it to the redhead, who scowled and snatched it out of his hand without a word. Blaise shot a warning look at his best man, who shrugged nonchalantly.
"Right. So I loop it like this – over and then – Ginny, could you stop giving me the finger while I'm trying to tie this, please – alright. Matrimonius." Ron waved his wand, and the silk ribbon lit up in a beautiful glow from which the entire party had to shield their eyes. The glow gradually faded away, and the ribbon burnt up with it, a handful of shimmering ashes falling to the floor.
"Congratulations. Man and wife, or whatever," Ron said, looking like the words made him want to be sick, then stepped off the stage immediately. Ginny and Blaise paid him no mind, though, already engaged in a thoroughly extravagant kiss. Hermione clapped, as did Draco, and the assembled crowd.
Finally, Ginny and Blaise broke apart, and Ginny turned to her friends. "Right, now that's done – let's turn this into a real party!" She waved her wand and the instruments started up a snappy, rhythmic tune, then jumped down from the stage, followed by her new husband onto the dance floor. Hermione mumbled a quick incantation to refill everyone's goblets with the expensive champagne Draco had brought with him, then raised her own.
"To Ginny and Blaise!" she called out, and everyone except Ron, who had promptly disappeared, raised their cups and drank. Then, feeling slightly giddy, she too stepped down into the waiting arms of a grinning Theo, and together they made their way onto the dance floor beside the newlyweds. Hermione was slightly worried about Ron, but she knew that his anger stemmed only from resentment towards the Slytherins, and with a little time to himself to cool off he would be much more reasonable. For now, it was best to leave him be.
For the next few hours, dancing and drinking were the order of the night. Hermione's instruments continued to play into the early hours of the morning, though the music slowed and became much more soft and somber than the bouncy tunes they'd had at the start. The room was dotted with couples dancing, people resting their feet and in Luna's case, she'd actually gone to sleep, conjuring a giant blanket and pillow in the corner where she lay next to her metal-detector hat. Theo and Hermione had spent a long time on the dance floor, holding each other and swaying blissfully, almost completely unaware of anyone or anything else in the room.
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Second Chances