A Marriage of Inconvenience

Chapter 5

Inevitably, the day of the wedding came all too quickly. Hermione hadn't bothered to confide in any of her friends that she was about to get married to the Slytherin prince. Ginny and Harry had too much to worry about, Luna and Neville were in a tense phase of their relationship, appearing close to breaking up, and Ron wasn't speaking to her. Nor was she speaking to him, and she wouldn't ever think to invite him to this travesty even if they were on good terms. She had some colleagues at work, but no one whom she was close enough to invite.

A few hours before the dreaded business commenced, she Apparated outside the gates of Hogwarts and waited for Filch to let her in. She couldn't help recalling Whizbanger's theory that squibs were a product of wizard inbreeding. Looking at Filch, she decided that explained a lot about the man.

He seemed just as surly as ever when he led her inside the castle and up to the sixth floor. "The headmistress set aside a suite of rooms for your use on the sixth floor, near the Ravenclaw wing. Figured it'd better be on neutral territory." He chuckled darkly. "Can't have the bride or groom's houses hexing each other, can we?"

Hermione ignored him, not even giving a word of thanks or parting when he guided her to the right door. She felt guilty for the lapse of manners, but the sight in front of her soon wiped out that emotion.

Someone had gone to some trouble to make the room look wedding-ready. There were gauzy drapes and tulle bows, along with a mass of white roses. It was almost enough to make her sneeze, but two deep breaths acclimated her to the heady scent.

Narcissa was the first to see her and came forward. To Hermione's great surprise, Draco's mother put an arm around her shoulder without flinching. Of course, it was the fact she was no longer just a Mudblood that allowed Narcissa to do so, she was sure.

"Come with me, dear. There's a room awaiting you."

She nodded to Draco, who was busy talking with a group of house elves, seemingly without the imperious manner Lucius had always displayed toward poor Dobby. Hermione briefly recalled the Muggle superstition about it being bad luck to see each other before the wedding, but shrugged. It was apparently not a superstition held in the wizarding world, and really, could things get any worse?

Narcissa led her into a room that was obviously meant to double as the bedchamber for events that had to occur later. A snowy white cover over the bed looked soft enough to sink into, but she turned away from it ruthlessly, having no desire to indulge in touching it or imagining lying naked across it. Not that she would be naked, she assured herself.

"Draco told me your parents are...unavailable." Narcissa's expression showed sadness. "If you don't mind, I thought I could act as your attendant, unless you have someone coming?"

Hermione shook her head, having already replied to Lady Malfoy's owl asking about guests several days ago. "It's still just me. And I would appreciate your help." She was surprised to find she meant it. She had been dreading doing this alone, and even Narcissa was better than no one.

She hadn't expected preparations to take long, but Narcissa found many ways to fill the time. By the time she had declared Hermione ready, the young witch had been scrubbed, polished, buffed, and styled within an inch of her life. This was even more work than she'd put into her appearance for her date with Viktor Krum. It seemed like a spot of bother for nothing, but she couldn't deny she was stunning.

Her hair was smooth and shining, wrapped around her head in an elaborate twist. A silver diadem twinkling with diamonds Narcissa had loaned her adorned the intricate hairstyle. Her face looked fresh and beautiful, her skin fresh and dewy without even a drop of cosmetics. The floating white robe she had chosen sullenly at Madam Milkin's was gorgeous, and the silver threads woven throughout sparkled in the light.