On Marriage

Title: On Marriage, Chapter Twelve - The Final Steps

Surprising even herself, Hermione's wedding gown took a place of honor when she returned with it to her rooms. She had placed it outside her tall wardrobe, initially because she was afraid of wrinkling it beyond recognition. It didn't seem to matter that the logical part of her brain knew that the dress had been charmed to hang beautifully when it was on, no matter if it had been wadded into a ball just before-hand or not. To be honest, Hermione was a little bit afraid of examining that decision too closely. She was afraid that she might find a little illogical part of herself that had been dreaming about a fantasy wedding, no matter how much she actually thought such things were nonsense.

Ginny seemed unsurprised, though she was smart enough not to comment on the gown. Harry and Ron, however, seemed a bit more unsettled then Hermione thought was strictly necessary.

"Can't you put that thing away?" Ron had muttered when he saw it. "People will think you want to marry that git."

Hermione had scowled and closed the partition between her bedroom and her sitting room, though her mood lightened somewhat when Harry complimented her on her choice and then deftly changed the subject to a topic that wasn't nearly so touchy.

Ron apparently complained elsewhere, though, because Hermione found herself on more than one occasion with odd visitors - girls of the giggling variety who stopped by to see the dress. In most instances, Hermione would sigh and point across the room to the dress, stand there long enough for the snickers and giggling to cease and then ask if any of the girls had stopped by for anything important. That usually got rid of them fairly quickly.

One particular evening near Halloween brought seemingly every last female student in the fourth through seventh years to view the dress. Hermione and Ginny had holed up in the Head Girl's rooms to try and get a little studying done outside of the noisy common room and kept getting interrupted. A gushing and long-winded visit from excited bride-to-be Hannah Abbot had left Hermione irritated and on edge.

"I swear, if one more person comes to look at that stupid dress tonight..." Hermione began as she settled back down into the chair she had been occupying when not having to answer the door.

Ginny muffled a snicker as someone else knocked on the door at that precise moment.

With a near growl, Hermione threw her quill down once again and stalked to the door. "There's the stupid dress, take a good look at it," she snapped as she yanked the door open. She barely had enough time to place her hand on her hip in a picture of irritation before she gasped and jumped away from the open door looking completely cowed.

"I fail to see what all the excitement is about," Severus said coolly from the corridor, "Especially if this is how you typically treat those who stop by your quarters. Had we known this was how you handled yourself publicly, Miss Granger, the staff might have voted someone else into the position of Head Girl."

Hermione felt her cheeks burn and she tucked her hair behind her ear self-consciously.

"It's been a frustrating evening," she said lamely.

"Then put the dress away," Severus replied, his tone suggesting that he was speaking to a small and stupid child. "If there's nothing to look at, no one will come." Hermione felt the color rise in her cheeks again and tried not to scowl.

The shuffling of parchment deeper in the room seemed to catch the attention of both Hermione and Severus. Ginny had gathered up her books and study materials and inched closer to the room's only exit.

"Thanks for your help, Hermione. I'll see you tomorrow." She offered Hermione a smile and ducked through the doorway with a nod and a murmured "Good evening, Professor," for Severus.

Hermione nodded and watched Ginny go, a little irritated that she was stuck studying alone for the rest of the evening. Not that that typically bothered her at all, but it was kind of nice to spend a few moments with someone who didn't care one whit about the dress that was hanging on the wardrobe door.

Of course, it appeared that Hermione had that in Severus, who was now looking at her expectantly. She shook her head slightly and took a step further into the room.

"Pardon me." She knew Severus had probably given her another black mark on his mental 'public relations skills' list. "Please, come in." At least her sitting area was clean, with the exception of the books she had obviously been using to study. It was the first time he'd come to her door and she was suddenly quite aware of how cramped her own quarters were in comparison to his, though that did make sense. As a student, she didn't require nearly the same amount of space for a single school term that a professor did for the years they inevitably spent at the castle.

Severus declined with a dismissive wave of his hand and a scowl, though that seemed to have more to do with what he said next than Hermione's invitation. "I've come to inform you that the Headmaster wishes to speak with us regarding wedding plans after dinner tomorrow evening."

"Again?" Hermione said before she could stop herself. A slight twitch at the corner of Severus's lip was the only indication that he thought her obvious frustration to be even slightly amusing. Hermione sighed and nodded her assent, knowing that she had no choice but to agree.

"Tomorrow evening, then," Severus said. With a slight nod, he turned to go, then stopped and looked past Hermione to the wedding dress. She waited somewhat tensely for any sort of reaction, but received none before her turned back into the corridor and disappeared.

* * *

As Severus had said, the Headmaster wanted to discuss wedding plans after the evening meal the following day. What he failed to mention, and what Hermione guessed he hadn't known himself, was that it was a meeting comprised of the three couples who had agreed to be married on the same day.

Hermione smiled politely when she entered Dumbledore's office to find Hannah and Ernie hand in hand on a small sofa and Daphne sitting somewhat uncomfortably in a chair with Adrian standing behind her, his hand resting possessively on her shoulder. Severus entered a moment later and his face darkened as the quiet smirk he received from Pucey. No words were exchanged between the couples, though the Hufflepuff and Slytherin pairs traded glances when Hermione stationed herself beside the chair that Severus had claimed. He almost smiled at her in return, and Dumbledore positively beamed.

The conversation that followed went surprisingly well, considering that each couple had wildly different plans for their own ceremony. Ernie and Hannah, as they had already let anyone who would listen know, were planning an elaborate Muggle ceremony. Adrian and Daphne had chosen a handfasting and appeared to be adhering to the oldest of wizarding customs. Hermione thought it odd that she and Severus had been the only couple of the three to aim for the middle ground, a handfasting with slight Muggle overtones.

The only issue of the evening seemed to appear when it came to making decisions about the combined reception party. Muggle ceremony and strict handfasting weren't meshing well at all, and Adrian nearly brought Hannah to tears before Ernie and, surprisingly, Severus stood up for her.

Hermione arched an eyebrow in surprise, a habit that Ginny swore she had picked up from spending small amounts of time with Severus, and took advantage of a moment of hurt silence to suggest that perhaps they should leave the reception decorations to the Headmaster. Severus snorted, a response echoed by Adrian, but Hannah and Ernie perked up and Daphne looked at her quizzically.

"Well, he always does a fabulous job of the feasts and Balls, doesn't he?" Hermione said in reply to their questions as to her reasoning. Dumbledore chuckled his amusement at her assessment of his decorating skills, and everyone agreed, if grudgingly, to give up their arguments in favor of entrusting the Headmaster with the task.

Hermione was thrilled that that particular decision marked the end of their wedding planning session and, as she stalked back to her own rooms to hide her wedding dress in her wardrobe, she vowed to think about the pending nuptials as little as possible until they actually happened.