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The wedding was a vast array of blues and greens.
When Hermione had spoken to Snape, letting him know of what was going on in Padma's insecure mind, Severus had scoffed at the 'little idiot' having thought that, but he'd nonetheless turned around, robes flying behind him as he made his way to find his fiancé.
The next time Hermione had seen Padma she'd been all smiles and giggles. So apparently Severus had had a serious conversation with her and everything was fine--or they'd shagged senseless.
Hermione wasn't too keen on figuring out which of the two it was.
So here she sat between Harry and Ron, looking up at the wedding that was being performed by none other than Dumbledore himself. Draco and Snape both looked bored with the whole ceremony, standing there in black---a large contrast to the other's clothes---silent and stoic.
Padma had scandalized her parents by opting to have a gown of periwinkle blue instead of the traditional white. When her mother and father had gone on and on about what that would be screaming to those in the audience, she'd announced that the whole of Hogwarts knew she wasn't a virgin. And when Mr. Patil's sister Ishtar backed up her niece completely, that started another fight between Padma's parents.
Parvati was her sister's maid of honor, but it was obvious to anyone who watched her gazing longing at the groom that she wished she'd been the bride instead. Mr. and Mrs. Patil noticed the attraction for the first time, and that subdued their anger enough for both to watch her sadly.
Lucius Malfoy sat with Mary Granger. He'd been asked to attend since it was Snape's marriage, and apparently he'd asked Hermione's mum to accompany him. Mary's eyes were wide as she leaned forwards, amazed at the differences in Muggle and Wizard marriage ceremonies. She giggled when Deacon (who'd been given the position of junior ring bearer) shook his fist (which the pouch with rings was attached to) around frantically, causing those at the wedding to hope he didn't lose the rings.
Lucius, on the other hand, spent most of the ceremony watching Mary, much to the woman's ignorance. Anyone could see the sad longing in his silver eyes that he schooled into indifference whenever she turned to him to whisper something or the other.
If Hermione's dad hadn't been an issue, Hermione would have felt bad for Lucius.
"She looks beautiful." Lavender whispered to Ron, talking about the blushing bride. It'd taken a lot on Ron's part to get Lavender to take him back, to accept that the scar (which would never fade) didn't disgust him or change what he felt for her, and she'd finally taken him back and appeared in public.
"Hn." Ron snorted, tightening his hold around her shoulders. "You'll look more beautiful when we get married."
"Married?" Her eyes widened and she turned to look at him in shock. "Us?"
Ron turned puce in embarrassment.
She blinked. "Tell me that wasn't your idea of a proposal."
Ron was uncharacteristically silent.
Lavender giggled softly and shook her head, leaning it against his shoulder. "I think you'll look better than Professor Snape too."
Ron suddenly smiled so widely it was slightly unnerving.
"No." Pansy's voice in the seat behind Hermione's caught her attention.
"But Pans…"
"No 'buts' Charles Weasley." The Slytherin might sound haughty and annoyed, but there was also a tinge of amusement in her voice.
"No one will notice we're gone. Their eyes are all on Snape and Patil."
"Who says I'm worried about them noticing?" She sniffed, indignant. "I just don't want to go to my old common room to shag you right now."
Charlie made a whining sound in the back of his throat. "We've talked about this Pansy! We both want a large family and I just want to make sure we have a head start!"
"No." She snorted before hissing: "And I'm two months pregnant you damned fool! I think you don't have to worry about 'starting'!"
Hermione blinked. She hadn't known Pansy was pregnant.
There was silence before Charlie's voice was pure seduction. "I'm just making sure it's not a fluke. Can't blame me for wanting to make sure you're really carrying my baby in there. You don't even puke in the mornings."
"Those home tests are accurate and you know it!" Her voice conveyed that they'd had this conversation more than once. "And I can't believe you're wishing morning sickness on me only so you can have proof!"
"Pans---."
"And just so you know, when I get morning sickness I won't have any desire to satisfy your animalistic urges!"
"More reason to go to your old Commons…" Charlie didn't miss a beat.
"You're such a---!" There was a gasp. "Get your hand out from there Charlie Weasley!" She hissed, sounding slightly husky. "We're in public!"
"No one's watching, my Little Flower."
Pansy gasped, her breath choppy. "Ch-Ch-Charlie, I-I-!"
"Where's your commons, luv?" He whispered huskily.
"Go to hell!" She hissed back but got up nonetheless. "It's this way."
Harry chuckled, proving that he'd been listening in as well and found them just as amusing as Hermione. Both brunettes watched Pansy and Charlie as they got up and left the ceremony.
Blaise was looking down at his nails in apparent boredom, but the slight curve of his lips proved that he'd also listened to them, and the sideways glance he gave Harry gave a good idea of what he was thinking.
Everyone cheered as Padma threw herself at Snape and kissed him thoroughly before the 'you may kiss the bride' could be finished. When they finally pulled away she looked smug and Snape scowled at her, yet he was blushing, and his eyes betrayed the fact he wasn't annoyed with his bride at all.
When they all went to the Great Hall for the reception, Draco appeared by Hermione's side. He'd dropped Deacon off with Mary and Lucius, and placed his arm around his woman, plopping down besides her.
"Merlin, that took forever." He turned to Hermione. "How about we forget having the whole boring affair for our own wedding and just bloody elope?"
She giggled and kissed his cheek. "You know Severus will kill you if he had to go through it and you only elope. Or worse---he'll flunk you in Potions."
Draco chuckled at her logic yet squeezed her tenderly. He noticed the girls all congregating around Padma, who was about to throw her bouquet. "You not going to join?"
"Nah," she shook her head. "I missed you."
He smirked. "Of course you did. OUCH!" rubbing the arm she'd pinched, he shook his head at her mischievous smile. "You don't play fair."
"I don't remember hearing you complaining about that last night." She whispered huskily in his ear.
Draco went rock hard immediately and closed his eyes at the painful need. "Damn you, you did that on purpose."
"Mmmmhhmm." She traced the curve of his ear with her tongue. "But you know I'll make it up to you tonight."
"You're not making this any easier…" He whispered with a groan when her hand moved over his erection, innocently hidden by the table cloth. No one noticed him flinch when she cupped him, thankfully, or how his eyes rolled back a second as she stroked him over the material of his pants. "Witch."
"Don't you know it."
He shook his head at her once again. "Good thing Deacon's going with your parents tonight."
Hermione giggled, continuing to torture Draco much like Charlie had Pansy during the ceremony.
"Stop it you two perverts." Harry ordered teasingly as he and Blaise sat down across from them.
"Up yours Potter." Draco tried not to react when Hermione's hand entered his pants and grabbed his hard dick in her hands, beginning to stroke him devilishly. "Oh, that's right, that's Blaise's job, it?"
"Behave," Hermione warned, squeezing him slightly the same time that Blaise grinned and announced: "Damn straight that's my job."
Harry looked like he didn't know whether to glare at Draco or Blaise.
"MISTERS POTTER, ZABINI and MALFOY! MISS GRANGER!"
The four winced as Rita Skeeter flittered towards them, charmed cameras taking blinding pictures of them and quill and paper ready to take notes.
Harry glared angrily at her.
Hermione nodded silently in reluctant welcome.
Zabini gave her a dazzling smile knowing it would only tick Harry off.
"Ms. Skeeter." Draco was the only one to speak, damning Hermione for keeping her flinges clasping his erection, working him masterfully.
"Isn't this the most interesting wedding of the year?" She asked, obviously having been drawn to the marriage of a student and her professor. "What are your views of this bond between a professor and the girl he still teaches?"
Draco closed his eyes and looked away, trying to calm down as the tell-tale tingling in his cock proved that Hermione was soon going to be rewarded for her 'work'.
Thankfully he wasn't expected to answer. It was hard enough to keep from whimpering from the pleasure as it was.
"I think it's marvelous." Hermione announced innocently, as if she wasn't wanking Draco, about to bring him off. "They obviously care for each other and if her parents agree, others shouldn't have a say in it."
Harry was ignoring Skeeter's gaze with a vengeance, the anger he still felt from their last encounter burning too close to the surface for him to open his mouth and not let ugly truths spill out. And he so didn't want to make a scene. Skeeter would most probably somehow make it look like he'd always been in love with Snape or something and was jealous that his teacher was marrying Padma.
Zabini's smile was a knicker-dropper, and he turned it full force on the reporter, who was immediately batting her fake eyelashes at him. "Unconventional romances are the thing of the present, Ms. Skeeter. Think of it. With the war all prejudice was defeated and will be tolerated more out of fear of being considered prejudiced—a trait of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Muggles or half-bloods will marry purebloods without a bat of an eyelash."" His gaze went to an innocent looking Hermione and a slightly panting, blushing Draco, who was leaning on the table and closing his eyes in concentration.
"Homosexuals and bisexuals will be able to be more open about their partners and their relationships." He placed his hand on Harry's knee before returning his knee-wobbling smile on a dreamy-eyed Rita Skeeter. "And other unconventional relationships, like triads or summer/winter ones will also be accepted."
Rita Skeeter sighed dreamily at him, and her quill noted that down on the scroll. "So, does that mean you and Mister Potter might one day accept some lucky girl into your relationship?"
Harry turned and glared at her, opening his mouth.
Blaise's hold on his knee tightened, before the dark Italian spoke once more. "Harry and I are still new in our relationship, but we're exclusive." He smirked. "He's a jealous and possessive lover and I like all his attention only on me."
Harry turned to glare at Blaise, cheeks hot pink.
Rita asked some more questions before noticing the parents of the bride and hurrying towards them.
Draco's body suddenly shook violently and he closed his eyes, trying to drown his moans in fake coughs as he came.
Harry and Blaise eyed each other, and a smug Hermione, before bursting into laughter.
"That. Was. Evil." Harry announced between laughs.
"You should have been Slytherin." Blaise chuckled when he finally could breathe again.
Hermione smiled innocently at them, as if asking what in the world they could be talking about.
Draco leaned against the table, muttering weak curses and threats against the three of them.
Ginny appeared with Goyle, each sporting a twin. "Well, that had to be awkward." The redhead was telling the young man who'd accepted her proposal the day he'd returned from battle.
"What?" Hermione asked as they sat down.
"Parvati caught the bouquet." Goyle announced, bouncing Greggie on his knee.
"And then smiled up at professor Snape." Ginny whispered scandalously. "In front of everyone!"
Hermione winced. It would seem that Parvati wasn't giving up on Professor Snape, not even despite the fact that he was now her brother-in-law.
Ginny suddenly noticed Draco with his forehead around the table. "What happened to Malfoy?"
"Nothing." Harry snickered. "He was just acting like the prat he is until Hermione got a good hold on him."
"Shud'up Potter." Draco growled, voice muffled by the table.
Hermione couldn't help but giggle while Blaise laughed.
Ginny and Goyle exchanged confused glances but shrugged it off.
"You are so going to pay for that tonight." Draco whispered to Hermione when the other four at the table began a loud and lively conversation.
"That's what I was hoping you'd say." She whispered back, a mischievous glint in her otherwise innocent eyes.
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"The end." A proud voice announced importantly.
"You forgot the part where Auntie Bella returns and beees good." A pretty girl with long golden curls and silver eyes announced unhappily.
Her elder brother, the exact image of his platinum blonde father, nodded. "Helly's right, you didn't even tell of when you became Head of the Ministry or when Uncle Harry started his Auror's training school."
"And you forgot the part where our mummy marries daddy." A pair of redheaded twins announce in union. Their three younger brothers stayed quiet, yet obviously backed up Greggie and Georgiana.
"And what about when I was born!" A smaller, redheaded girl with blue eyes, the picture-perfect image of Lavender Weasley cried out, obviously insulted by the exclusion.
An auburn-haired girl with stunning blue eyes played silently with the stuffed dragon her daddy had gotten her as a gift so she wouldn't miss the dragons while on this visit.
Next to her sat a caramel skinned boy with slick black hair and blacker eyes. Thankfully, while he'd gotten his father's eyes and hair color, he'd gotten his mother's good looks.
Blaise Zabini looked at the group of children glaring up at him. "Who's telling the story? You munchkins or me?"
"You." Scarlet Brown-Weasley replied.
"But you're doing a horrid job of it." Deacon Malfoy sneered, putting a protective arm on his little sister Helena Rose's shoulder.
Blaise raised his eye at the six year old boy. "You're definitely Malfoy's."
Helena's eyes widened, tears gathering those Malfoy silver orbs. "Am I not daddy's?"
Deacon glared up at Blaise for making his sister teary-eyed.
"Oh baby, you're your daddy's alright." Blaise smiled, picking up the girl near tears and putting her on his lap. "You're his little princess."
Helena smiled, brightening up instantly at that.
"Well, if Helena's the princess, Deacon must be the prince, right, uncle Blaise?" Roe Weasley looked up from her stuffed dragon, stating this quite innocently, looking up at Blaise for confirmation.
Blaise smirked at the blush on Deacon's face as he looked at the little girl that would obviously be ridiculously beautiful when older. "Yes Roe, he must be."
She smiled, dimples appearing, only making her look more beautiful before returning to playing with her toy.
Deacon continued to watch her silently, as he had ever since she'd arrived with her parents.
Roe giggled at something Dageus Snape said from where he sat next to her.
Deacon narrowed his eyes and scowled darkly at the handsome, other boy who had all of Roe's attention.
Blaise, watching everything with a shrewd look, broke out in a crooked grin.
Apparently Deacon was more like his father than anyone would suspect.
Got to keep him away from potions then, Blaise thought to himself as he watched Deacon pouting dangerously at the attention the usually silent and quite shy Roe gave the son Padma had been secretly pregnant with during her engagement.
"Hey everyone!" Hermione and Draco peeked in on the children.
"Mama!" Helena jumped off of her 'uncle's' lap and threw herself at Hermione, looking up at her protruding stomach. "Baby."
Hermione somehow pulled up her daughter into her arms and rolled her eyes when Draco stole the child away, giving his daughter a kiss and giving Hermione 'The Look'---the look that meant 'why are you straining yourself? Woman! You're pregnant!'
"So, what were you guys doing?" Draco asked, placing an arm around Hermione to balance her. He knew it would only annoy her, but she was so large with this third pregnancy, and wobbled so horribly, he was always behind her, afraid that she'd lean too much to the side or back and fall down.
His constant doting was annoying the hell out of her though.
"Unca Blaise was telling us about how you got mummy." Helena announced with a breath-taking smile, looking more like her mother even though she had daddy's coloring.
"And he was telling it badly." Georgiana added with wide, innocent eyes.
Draco barked out an amused laugh.
Blaise mock-glared at the children. "Ingrates!" He then turned to the very pregnant woman in their midst, holding her hands to his heart dramatically. "You appreciate my superb storytelling, dontcha Granger?"
" She's a Malfoy." Draco growled.
Hermione giggled, ignoring her husband, attention on the mischievous Blaise. "Yes, Minster, I do."
Draco raised an eyebrow at them. "If you don't want some parts I know Potter will dearly miss Diffindo'd off, you'll refrain from touching my wife."
Both Hermione and Blaise rolled their eyes at him, and some of the children did so just because the adults were doing so.
"Talking about Harry, he was looking for you." Hermione told Blaise.
The Slytherin sighed in an overly-dramatic way. "Does this mean you'll not leave the wimpy blonde and come with Harry and I? Both of us have wanted you at one time and wouldn't mind sharing you with each other."
Draco narrowed his eyes at his best friend for having the gall to proposition his wife---and in front of him and their children! Depraved Italian!
"I'm tempted." Hermione teased back, both brunettes enjoying getting Draco all riled up for nothing. "I've always had a thing for you."
Helena's eyes widened and she turned to her father. "Is mummy leaving you for Unca Blaise and Unca Harry?"
"Hermione Malfoy!" Draco pulled his wife from his laughing best friend. "You're confusing the children!"
Giggling, Hermione leaned forwards and kissed Draco's cheek. "You know I'm not going anywhere, you over-possessive, jealous oaf."
The blonde suddenly smiled down at her. "I know, it's in our marriage contract."
She slapped his arm.
Blaise rolled his eyes at them before turning to the children. "How about ice cream, cake, and once everyone is hyper you go bother Uncle Harry?"
"Me! I want cake!" Helena wiggled to let her father know that she wanted down now and jumped up into Blaise's arms.
The kids all squealed and hurried and rushed to get cake and ice cream.
All except Roe, who got up tranquilly and hugged her stuffed dragon to her chest, smiling up at the adults before slowly walking out of the room, with a blushing Deacon walking besides her, looking at his feet and asking her in a soft voice about dragons.
"When they're older, you're going to have to keep all sorts of potions out of his hands when around her." Blaise warned.
Draco opened his mouth to protest, but seeing the look in his son's eyes that he himself had had when looking at Hermione while they grew up, he closed it immediately. Will do.
Realizing that his point had gotten through, Blaise smirked. "I better go before they kill Harry on a sugar high." He left Hermione and Draco alone in Deacon's room.
Hermione giggled at his retreating form before going to sit down on her son's bed, tired from standing so long. She was just too big with this pregnancy. "I wonder if mom is feeling this bad."
When her father had died of a heart attack a year after Hermione's marriage to Draco, neither had been surprised when Lucius started to court a surprised Mary once a respectable time for grieving had passed.
Apparently, Mary hadn't ever realized that Lucius saw her other than as a friend, and his true feelings had been a disconcerting and frighteningly new revelation to her. Of course, the eldest Malfoy had gotten his way in the end, with Mary and Hermione discovering their pregnancies at the same time.
"She's having my father's spawn, I feel sorry for her."
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "He's still pouting at the fact that she won't marry him even though she's pregnant."
"Don't blame her. Tied to him forever? Wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy." He paused. "Then again, the look on Zabini's face if Potter ever left him for dad---it might be worth it."
Leaning against him when he sat down next to her and placed a possessive hand on her round stomach, Hermione breathed in his scent and smiled. "Shut up."
He chuckled, turning his head so he could breathe in the calming scent that was all Hermione. "As you wish, Mrs. Malfoy."
The End
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PLEASE READ:
Wow.
That's it. No more "Best Laid Plans". I'm somewhat melancholic.
Thank you everyone who has ever read and reviewed this story. You gave me more reviews than I ever have had and both my muse Raia and I love you all greatly.
This is a reminder for those who haven't voted yet to vote on the voting poll in my author's page. It will soon close so please have your votes in before that.
And remember to tell me that IF one of the Draco x Hermione x Harry or Draco x Hermione x Blaise options don't win---if you would like to see Harry and Blaise together again (or any other odd couples you'd like to request). I don't like Ginny x Blaise much, so it'd be hard for me to write that. I just don't like them together, for some reason or the other, so please don't ask me to put them together. I won't.
How about a review for old times' sake???
And thank you for coming on this journey with Raia and I and inspiring me to finish it!
shadowglove