Professor Granger

Chapter 55: Marriage

       FEBRUARY 2nd, HERMIONE & DRACO'S SUITE, HOGWARTS

"To one year," Hermione smiled as she lifted her glass of firewhiskey. Draco's glass clinked softly against hers, his knuckles drawing across her fingers as he pulled it back. "The best one yet," he muttered softly, running his eyes over her as he took a drink.

Firewhiskey burned Hermione's throat as she spluttered on the sharp taste. She let out a quick cough, immediately trying to clear her throat of the burning sensation with a drink of water. 

"Is that snow?" Draco whispered softly beside her as he looked up around the side of a towering umbrella flower above him, pulling her attention from the tickle in her throat. Her head snapped up and looked around at The Black Lake, glittering in the moon and starlight. 

"Is it?" Hermione stood up, sliding from underneath the cover of the flowers overhead. She made her way to the railing, recently installed, and took hold. Draco had fought her on adding it at the beginning, insistent that the enchantments would keep them safe on the platform over the lake's water. In the end though, she convinced him to add it with a mention of having a place to grip.

"Come here," Draco whispered, sliding her into his arms as snowflakes began to fall more steadily, dissolving into the lake as they landed.

The wind whistled around them, swirling with flurries. Hermione rested against Draco, taking a calm breath. Her gaze drifted over the castle, soft candlelight glowing through scattered windows in the towers above. 

"I love you," Draco's voice whispered against her ear. 

"I love you," she smiled, turning to sweep her arms up and around him- pulling him in for a kiss. He grinned, fingers clenching around her hips as their lips collided.

Hermione hands slid up Draco's neck, pushing into his hair as they kissed. She felt his arms wrap around her tighter, lifting her up into his arms.

      MARCH 30th, THE GREAT HALL, HOGWARTS

A large, grey owl dropped a letter in front of Hermione onto the table. She leaned over her breakfast to reach for the envelope- addressed to her from Ginny and Blaise's flat in London. A moment later, two smaller brown owl's swooped past each other in front of her with a loud beating of wings- making her attention shoot back and forth as Draco and Harry both received letters on either side of her. The handwriting on them was identical to Hermione's- in Blaise's tight script. 

"The same?" Draco muttered, eyeing Hermione's envelope.

"Looks like it," Hermione shrugged. She pushed her empty breakfast plate aside, opening the letter carefully.

              WE GOT MARRIED!

  COME CELEBRATE WITH US

       APRIL 1rst at SUNSET

             THE PHOENIX

Beneath the tight, neat script was a looser scrawl- clearly added by Ginny.

        HERMIONE! I can't wait to tell you all about it! See you soon xx

"Bloody hell!" Harry's voice shouted through the loud murmur of the Great Hall as he flipped his letter over back and forth as if searching for further explanation to appear.

"Well then," Draco chuckled as he read his card.

"I can't believe they got married," Hermione gasped with a smile, rereading the invitation. She glanced over at Draco's and noted the neat, boxy script of Blaise's handwriting below the card's invitation text- just like Ginny had done with hers. "What did Blaise add?" she wondered aloud as she leaned in to see closer.