Chapter Text
• The Graduation •
Hermione had invited a few girls to her dorm to get ready with her. Dyani, Katya, Annie and Ginny were all crammed into her dorm as they fixed their hair and make-up, drank champagne and fitted into their dresses.
Dyani was wearing a velvet purple dress with her hair sleeked back into a low bun, Katya was wearing a dark green skin-tight silk dress and wearing her hair down in her classic fashion, Annie wore her classic black colour with lacey material and her hair In a messy braid and Ginny was dressed in a silver chiffon dress with a tight strapless yet structured breast- hair in a very classy wave. They all looked unbelievably stunning.
They all stopped what they were doing and stared though, as Hermione came out of the bathroom in her dress.
Her strapless sweetheart neckline hugged her breasts, creating the illusion of cleavage but then dropped away entirely at the sides and back, leaving her bare down the sides to her hips except for one strap that tied itself around her chest. The red soft fabric flowed around her feet casually revealing tanned strappy wedges.
Hermione had made a side note to Violetta that they would be heading straight to Monaco after the party and felt like this was perfect for both the occasions of the night.
"Alright. Shall we?" Hermione said bravely as she looked around her room one last time.
She and Ginny's bags were packed and ready for departure as soon as the graduation ended, laying on her bed.
"We shall!" Said Ginny, reaching out to her. Both girls went to wipe their eyes but Katya intervened and performed a drying spell on them before they could smudge their make-up.
"I finally got a dorm all to myself and now I'm leaving..." Hermione sniffed.
•
As they descended the stairs into the common room, Harry's eyes bugged out at his fiancée.
"Ginny... you look...wow," Harry muttered as he ran a hand nervously through his hair and politely came towards her, kissing her cheek.
Hermione wondered why he was being so reserved until she heard a wolf whistle from an armchair across the room.
"Hermione!! Tsk tsk, is that how we are dressing to impress Slytherins these days? I might just have to whisk you away from him before he can see you in that!"
Hermione chuckled at the unmistakable voice of George Weasley.
"Is that your way of telling me I look nice?" She said sarcastically.
George walked up to her and put a hand under her chin, lifting her eyes to his. "Nice wouldn't be sufficient, flawless, radiant a goddess in the flesh." He said as he kissed her on the cheek.
"Remind me again how none of these idiots scooped you up when they had the chance." He cooed softly as she swatted his hand away, blushing.
She may have a soulmate, but George Weasley could charm the pants off of McGonagall herself if he wanted to, those brown mischievous eyes always conjuring up something wicked.
"Good to see you too George." She giggled as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
"May I?" He said as he offered her his arm and led her out of the common room behind their friends.
"You may." She then turned around and gave the common room one last look over, trying to memorize everything for the last time before she followed the crowd with George's arm in hers.
•
Draco had received his mother in the Great Hall and walked her to the assigned seating before heading back to the grand entrance to wait for Hermione.
Bill and Charlie Weasley were glaring at him next to a few other Weasleys he had met before. Including the formidable Molly Weasley, conqueror of his evil aunt. He bowed his head politely in their direction before making his way out.
"Mate, you okay?" Theo snickered at Draco's nervous jitters.
"Gods, you aren't planning on proposing again are you?" Blaise ridiculed as he passed Draco a flask.
"Will both of you shut the fuck up!" Draco said scathingly as his feet began to move of their own accord.
"Merlin, are you pacing? Get it together you woman!" Theo snickered.
Suddenly the crowd around him hushed, then whispered excitedly as someone descended the stairs.
Draco looked up slowly and caught Hermione's eyes. She winked at him as a certain Weasley was staring at him too and whispering in her ear. She looked slightly amused by what he was saying and then smiled, scoffing and gave him a familiar-looking wack to the arm.
The photographers and journalists that were waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs were already whispering frantically amongst themselves and quick quotes quills were already dancing to their quirky rhythms.
Draco opened a hand out to Hermione as she neared him and she grabbed his bicep firmly and planted a sweet kiss directly on his lips in front of the entire press.
They went mental as she did so, but she hardly noticed. His hands had found her backless dress and he pressed her to him lovingly, before pulling away.
They both smiled at the cameras and then entered their graduation ceremony.
•
Once McGonagall and the rest of the teachers congratulated the departing students, the crowd was ushered out the doors and separated from the press into the large festively decorated courtyard.
A large dance floor was at the center of the space, with many large gazebos encircling it. There were floating candles everywhere, food was wandering around on large enchanted white platters and hundreds of glasses of champagne autonomously wound their way into guest's hands.
Draco told Hermione to go say 'hello' to her friends and then turned away in the other direction to meet with his friends.
"Hagrid!" Hermione cried as she jumped into the giant's arms. "I'm going to miss you so much, who am I supposed to have tea and rock cakes with on Thursday now?" She smiled and looked up at him.
"Well I'll be ‘round Knockturn for my vegetable supplies, I'll bring y'er my famous rock cakes when I come by! I'll see yah around, not t’er worry!" He gave her another large hug before shooing her off towards Slughorn who was already sloshed and waving her over.
Slughorn stole her attention for a good few minutes before she pawned Harry off on him, then she decided to look for Draco.
When she finally found him he was buried within a sea of Red hair. He looked serious and a bit awkward, but Ginny was holding his arm and Theo was on his other side, clearly getting along very well with George Weasley.
Bill and Charlie looked at him with a hint of disdain but before she could come over and save him, the two elder Weasley siblings extend their hands to shake his, offering genuine smiles before continuing to talk to each other.
Before Hermione could move towards the group of them, she heard an elegant voice from behind her.
"Mrs. Granger?" Narcissa Malfoy said, as she walked over and reached a hand out to her son's girlfriend.
"Please call me Hermione. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Under normal circumstances too." Narcissa laughed and it sounded the way she imagined angels did. "Although this is hardly a regular circumstance really, we will be spending time together in Monico in a few short hours."
"I suppose your right, thank you again for the invitation, not only to me but to my friends as well. We all have been so looking forward to it ." She said as she embraced the older woman for the first time.
"It was my pleasure, anything for my future daughter-in-law." She winked.
Hermione paused at that but then resumed polite conversation until Draco walked up to the two of them.
"Mother." He said kissing her cheek. "I see you two have met already. Sorry, last I saw, Slughorn had you trapped into a riveting conversation and I didn't want to ruin it for you." Draco chuckled. "Mind if I steal Hermione for a moment?"
Narcissa nodded then said she was leaving anyway to port key back to Monaco and that she would see them later.
They said goodbye and then turned back towards each other.
"Darling if I haven't said it yet, that dress is so... you. I want to watch you wearing it almost as much as I would like to tear it off of you." He said as they started to dance.
"How was your conversation with the Weasleys." She interjected, steering the conversation away from sex while they were surrounded by so many ears.
"Bill and Charlie are weary of me still, but Molly and Arthur were nothing but kind. George told me he would kill me and bury the evidence if I ever hurt you, but he seems nice." He scoffed.
"Is that him with Theo over there? That's a lethal combination if I've ever seen one." Hermione mused.
"Theo has wanted to invest for quite some time, just was waiting for an introduction." He said. "Weasley looks like he's already got him wrapped around his finger too."
Hermione rested her head against his chest as they danced for a while to the small orchestra until Ginny cut in and stole them away to take some pictures.
The graduates, teachers and parents chipped away at the endless champagne, swaying to the music, laughing and chatting as it became late. Hermione needed to use the loo, so she headed into the empty castle alone, walking the old corridors that suddenly felt as if they were unfamiliar.
She relieved herself in the washroom where Harry and Ron had once saved her from a troll long ago and then washed her hands. Once she stepped out of the bathroom though, she was stopped by the same two best friends she had just been thinking about, who then dragged her off into the other direction.
"Can you believe it's our last night in this wonderful castle?" Harry sighed thoughtfully as he pushed a champagne flute into Hermione's hand.
"No... and thinking about it is making me want to throw up a little. Is it weird that I don't want to leave?" She whispered as the boys lead her towards the staircase. "Where are we going by the way?"
"You'll see!" Ron replied as they continued to reminisce.
•
"What are we doing at the astronomy tower?" Hermione asked.
"I thought the three of us should have a toast, somewhere significant, somewhere that meant something to the three of us. Here is where Dumbledore passed his incredible, wise and unprecedented torch over to us three. Whether he planned the whole thing, or just hoped for the best, we did it."
"To us." Hermione toasted
"To us!" Ron followed.
"To us and to that crazy old man Dumbledore!" Harry finished as they drained their glasses and watched the Weasleys Wizard Wheezes fireworks display fall over the school triumphantly.