Magnetic Moment Chapter 14
Chapter 14
The good mood, which Hermione had been in all Sunday, evaporated the second she set foot in Professor McGonagall’s office. Once again a couple of other teachers, Professors Vector and Burbage, were present for safety reasons. One of the students was also there. It was Susan Bones, who apparently had just arrived before Hermione and was sobbing her heart out.
“There, there,” Professor McGonagall awkwardly tried to comfort the distressed girl. She was having little success and was barely able to give Hermione an acknowledging nod before another burst of tears forced the Headmistress to return her attention to her crying student.
Hermione silently slipped out of the office and made her way towards Gryffindor tower. There, she found Harry playing chess with Neville. Talking loud enough so the surrounding Gryffindors could hear her as well and thereby preventing anybody from suspecting her relationship with Fred had been a put-up affair, Hermione told the two boys about her recent engagement. Neville was surprised but soon congratulated her heartily, as did Harry, though he also whispered a “well played,” into her ear.
A few other classmates came over to offer their congratulations: Ginny and Ron were not among them. Hermione briefly looked around for the two Weasleys in the common room. She spied Ginny in a far corner talking to a fellow sixth year girl. Ginny caught Hermione’s glance and Hermione was surprised to see Ginny was not scowling at her for once. That is not to say that Ginny was looking pleased or friendly, but at least her eyes had lost the malevolent content. If anything, Ginny seemed to look sad and Hermione, too, felt sad, missing her friend even though she was so close by.
Ron did not seem to be in the common room. Hermione didn’t know it then, but he had been there when she had made her announcement. He had left shortly afterwards not wanting to intrude on her apparent happiness even though it was ripping him apart inside. Had Hermione been aware of his presence, she would have been surprised that he refrained from causing a scene. Then again, Ron had been ignoring her ever since they had returned to Hogwarts, so Hermione would probably just have assumed he was continuing his tactics of avoidance.
Harry and Neville caught Hermione up with everybody else’s reaction to the Law. Hermione was surprised to hear that a couple of Ravenclaws and a Hufflepuff sixth year, all Muggle-born, had decided to hand back their wands and return to their parents rather than being forced to get married. One of them had been Susan Bones’ boyfriend, which explained the girl’s grief.
According to Harry and Neville, Hogwarts was ablaze with rumours about who was going to marry whom. Anthony Goldstein and Lisa Turpin had announced their engagement during lunch and a lot of people expected Theodore Nott to propose to Megan Jones, since they had been going out for almost three years. Wayne Hopkins on the other hand had refused to marry the Muggle-born Sally-Ann Perks. Madam Pomfrey was currently treating Sally with a calming draught.
For days all Hogwarts seemed to talk about was the Marriage Law and the upcoming weddings. The Daily Prophet was bursting with wedding announcements. Hermione even noticed a recent Death Eater attack in Sussex with two casualties was pushed back to page 15. For her part, Hermione tried to stay as inconspicuous as possible and focused on her studies. And if she snuck up to her room once in a while to sneak a peak at her newly arrived and currently still orange wedding dress, then that was all for show - almost.
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About a week after returning to Hogwarts, Hermione received a note from Fred via owl post.
Please meet me tonight after curfew in the hidden passage behind the statue of the one-eyed crone. Harry knows how to get in.
Fred
That was all the message had said, and Hermione was quite disturbed because of it. She had no idea why Fred wanted to talk to her, the note gave no indication, but Hermione had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach regardless. Fred wouldn’t risk coming to Hogwarts without permission in the middle of the night if it weren’t serious. Or at the very least he wouldn’t make Hermione risk detention or worse because of him.
Consequently, Hermione spent all day, for she had received Fred’s message during breakfast, worrying herself sick. Harry, when consulted, wasn’t able to reassure her either. However, he did provide her with exact instructions as of how to reach the passageway as well as his Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder’s Map so she wouldn’t have to fear detection. The hours of the day stretched to an eternity until it was finally time for Hermione to go and meet Fred.
Five minutes before curfew Harry entered the Gryffindor common room through the Fat Lady’s portrait, using their old trick of letting Hermione, disguised by the Invisibility Cloak, slip past him. Hermione then carefully made her way down towards the third floor, going slowly so she wouldn’t make a sound. Whenever she passed one of the many ghosts patrolling the corridor, Hermione was forced to stand still and wait until they were gone. On the fourth floor she almost ran into Madam Hooch, but jumped aside just in time before the flying instructor strode past her. Hermione remained pressed against the wall for several minutes before she dared to continue.
Never in all the previous years had the corridors been so busy during the night. Hogwarts’ security was tight and well fit for times of war.
Finally, Hermione reached the statue Harry had indicated. She tapped the witch lightly with her wand, just like Harry had told her and muttered, “Dissendium!” At once, the hump of the old woman opened and a small hole, just big enough to let Hermione through, appeared. Hermione cautiously glanced left and right, consulted the map and, assured that no one was around, hoisted herself up and pushed trough the whole.
The stone slide came as somewhat of a shock as Harry had neglected to mention it. Hermione gripped her wand tightly until she hit the earthy floor. Straightening up, Hermione lifted her wand and muttered, “Lumos!”
She was standing alone in the earthy passageway that she knew led to Honeydukes’ cellar. Fred was nowhere in sight.
The ceiling was so low that her head almost brushed against it and the walls stood so close together that two people could not have walked next to each other. Hermione held her wand out in front of her trying to see further ahead, but the many turns and twists of the passageway made it impossible for her to see more than a few feet in advance.
Sighing, Hermione sat down on the dirty floor, leaning her back against one of the hard walls, and waited for Fred to appear.
It didn’t take long until she heard muffled footsteps. Standing up Hermione raised her wand once more in awareness, but let it sink down again when she heard a familiar voice.
“Hermione?”
Fred Weasley came around the last bend of the passageway, carrying a lit wand as well, halting in front of her his head bend, because the ceiling was too low for him to stand upright.
“Fred!” Hermione whispered relieved and hugged him. Considering the abruptness of the note she was glad to see him standing before her in one piece, seemingly unhurt.
“Hermione!”
Fred hugged her back tightly, his arms around her back and his face buried in Hermione’s hair.
They stood together for several minutes until Hermione finally took a step back and peered up towards Fred’s face. In the dimness of their wand lights she was unable to make out his expression.
“What’s wrong? What happened?” she asked worriedly. Fred didn’t answer outright; taking a seat on the floor instead, much like Hermione had done earlier, his legs half bent but nevertheless reaching the opposite wall due to the narrow confines of the passageway. His head rested against the wall behind him and his eyes were closed.
Hermione sat down beside him, close enough so that their shoulders brushed against each other. Taking his hand into hers she waited until Fred was ready to talk.
“I visited my parents yesterday,” he began, his voice low and strained. “I wanted to tell them about our wedding, ask them if they wanted to come…”
Hermione squeezed Fred’s hand but remained silent when he paused.
“Apparently, I could have saved myself the trouble,” Fred continued, sounding bitter now.
“Percy already wrote them a detailed account of our audience with Umbridge, including, so it seems, the fact that we had sex and his much valued opinion that I’m making a most unfit and imprudent match.”
“What did your parents say?” Hermione asked carefully.
“Oh, they agreed with Percy, of course. There was a lot of yelling, mainly on Mum’s side. The gist is that my preceding irresponsible behaviour is clear evidence that I’m far too immature to make life altering decisions like entering matrimony,” Fred said, speaking the last part in a mock high voice.
Hermione sighed and rested her head on Fred’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry. I really wish they’d have responded differently.”
“I should have known… the way Mum reacted on Christmas,” Fred said dejectedly. “Still, I can’t believe they won’t even come to my wedding.” Hermione could feel him shiver beside her.
There were no words that could have provided comfort, nothing to say that would make the reactions of his parents less hurtful. All the same, Hermione snuggled closer to his side murmuring soothing words into his ear.
“I’m sorry for dragging you out here. I know you hate breaking the rules,” Fred said after a while.
Hermione slowly raised her hands to her face; his hand still tightly encased in hers, and pressed a chaste kiss to his palm. “I’m glad you came,” she whispered back. She turned her head towards Fred. They were sitting so close their noses almost touched and their breaths mingled in the small space between their lips.
Fred lifted his free hand towards Hermione’s head and traced the contours of her face, which he could barely make out in the dim wand light. Hermione closed her eyes just letting herself feel his touch. Slowly, like he was savouring every moment of it, Fred ran his fingers along the line of her lips, her chin, and her cheeks and up to her eyes. No words where necessary when Fred finally cupped her cheek in his hand and gently drew Hermione nearer, their lips meeting in a soft kiss.
Soon, though, their kisses grew to be more needy and fervent. Fred pulled Hermione towards him until she was seated sideways on his lap. Hermione clutched at his shoulders and squirmed in his lap still feeling the need to further increase their contact even as Fred roamed his hands up and down her back and underneath her shirt.
In between two passionate kisses Fred whispered, “I love you,” and Hermione responded in kind.
It didn’t matter that they were in a dirty and narrow passageway underneath the grounds of Hogwarts. It didn’t matter that the only reason they had started a relationship had been to save Hermione from the Marriage Law or even that their families had turned from them.
It didn’t count.
All that matter was that they were there, with each other, together, as close as they could possibly be.
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It was very late at night or rather early in the morning when Hermione finally stumbled back into the Gryffindor common room. There she found Harry, asleep in one of the armchairs by the fire, clearly waiting for her to return.
Hermione shook his shoulders lightly until Harry grudgingly opened his eyes, then she let herself fall into an armchair next to her best friend.
“Did you just get back? What time is it?” Harry asked, stretching in his chair, muscles stiff from the hours of sitting in this cramped position.
“Yeah. Around 4am I think.”
Harry lifted his eyebrows surprised. Once he was fully awake he noticed Hermione’s dishevelled and dusty clothing. There also were smudges of earth on her cheeks and her hair was beyond tangled.
“I’m officially going to assume you and Fred were doing some late night gardening,” Harry remarked dryly. Hermione blushed, though it was a bit hard to tell underneath all the grime.
“Is everything alright? What did he want?” Harry asked.
Hermione explained about the Weasley’s reaction to their engagement. Harry was sufficiently angered on her behalf. He even offered to just knock some sense into Ron at least. Hermione declined.
“I really do understand his reaction. I had just really hoped at least Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would come around, for Fred’s sake.”
“Yeah, but at least George is on your side. He’s not going to miss his twin’s wedding. And one hundred Dementors couldn’t stop me from going.”
“You better come. I need you to walk me down the aisle. After all, you are like a brother to me, one of the most important people in my life.”
“I’d be honoured,” Harry replied, truly touched though perhaps a little uncomfortable with the emotional turn their conversation had taken.
“And you need to be my witness,” Hermione added.
“So, I’m going to be Father of the Bride as well as Maid of Honour?”
“Yup.” Hermione grinned.
“Just so you know, I’m drawing the line at flower girl. You’ll have to do without one.”
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Thankfully, the day after Fred’s visit was a Sunday, and Hermione allowed herself to sleep until noon. After lunch she went into the library, for once not to study for her NEWTs, but to do research on dying charms. She soon discovered that Madam Malkin had not exaggerated the difficulties of changing the colour on magically dyed dresses.
Resolving that asking Parvati and Lavender was inevitable, Hermione talked to her dorm mates during dinner. The two girls had been less obnoxious to Hermione lately, which Hermione attributed to the massive overflow of rumours at Hogwarts. She suspected that the two gossip queens were simply stretched too thin to spare much time for pestering Hermione about her love life.
Nonetheless, Lavender and Parvati readily agreed to help Hermione with her dress, the duo immediately spouting off specifics on magical dye and Newton’s colouring circle until Hermione’s head spun and she couldn’t help being impressed as well as slightly afraid. Therefore, it was agreed upon that the three girls would meet on Wednesday after lessons for a girls’ night in and wedding preparations.
It wasn’t until after dinner that Hermione remembered that she had never been to a girls’ night. In fact, she was somewhat proud that she had manage to refuse Parvati and Lavender’s urgings to this regard for six and a half years and was rather sad to blemish her perfect record. Due to her lack of experience, however, Hermione also had no idea what was required from her for such an event. Not wanting to ask Lavender and Parvati, because frankly the obscenely large input on magical dye hat been disturbing enough and still not able to talk to Ginny due to the girl’s continual resentment, Hermione asked Harry instead.
Harry for some reason blushed when asked about girls’ nights and claimed to have no knowledge about them whatsoever. At least he lent Hedwig to Hermione so she could send a letter in order to ask Fred.
Fred’s reply arrived Tuesday morning. He wrote that his knowledge about girls’ nights was limited to the fantasy apparently every guy had about girls having pillow fights in skimpy lingerie. Although that explained Harry’s embarrassed reaction two days earlier, it did little in helping Hermione prepare for Wednesday. Fred concluded his letter with the vague assumption that there might be chocolate involved and a not so subtle reminder that his birthday was in April and, in the unlikely yet desirable event that his fantasies would become reality and Hermione was indeed having pillow fights whilst wearing skimpy lingerie, pictures would always be welcome.
Help arrived in the unexpected form of Dobby. Having made a trip to the kitchen to score some extra chocolate just in case, Hermione was flabbergasted to learn that Dobby had a vast knowledge of girls’ night etiquette. Hermione didn’t dare ask whether Dobby had acquired said knowledge at Hogwarts or during his time in the employment of the Malfoys, but nevertheless was glad to learn that there was no skimpy lingerie required. On the contrary, any clothes would do just as long as they were comfortable (Fred would be disappointed). Dobby also promised to prepare the necessary food and assured Hermione that all she really had to do was show up.
So it came that with a little trepidation but resolutely drawing on her Gryffindor courage, Hermione entered the 7th year girls’ dormitory on Wednesday evening. To her utmost surprise the night proved to be pleasant enough. Dobby had provided a feast of junk food and Parvati and Lavender had brought out every copy of Witch Weekly and several other magazines they owned. With combined strength the three witches successfully changed Hermione’s orange dress into a beautiful snow-white wedding gown. Amongst Lavender and Parvati’s extensive library of glossy magazines there also were several shopping catalogues where Hermione ordered shoes and accessories for her outfit.
Hermione would have rather eaten a bucket full of Bubotuber Pus than admit it, but the girl’s night in had turned out to be productive as well as fun. Plus, she was all set for the wedding.
tbc
a/n: There we go. Thanks for reading this chapter. Please be so kind and review.
Thanks go to my lovely betas Katia and Joey and to everyone who reviewed the previous chapters.
Next Chapter: dum dum dee-dum…the wedding (finally).