For the first ten days I walked around terribly overwhelmed, my parents attributed this to exams at regular school, while I was worrying and "chewing over" the recent events for the thousandth time. And I was thinking about how to live now. I don't know which feeling was stronger: fear that this could happen again and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it, or anger because I would like to somehow get even, but again I can't do anything. On the other hand, if I do nothing, in a few years my tormentors should die anyway. And I just need to survive these few years myself. After fifth year I'll leave Hogwarts and prefer to learn news from letters and newspapers, rather than being a witness to events. Like in the Chinese saying about your enemy's corpse. But apparently I wasn't given enough Eastern wisdom. I'm unlikely to be able to react calmly to this pair of mentalists, thinking about their supposed sad future. It's not that I want Snape's death. Rather, I don't want it. But I definitely won't make any effort to change anything now. I still don't understand why he got into my head? Because he was angry? Why did he get so angry at all? He wasn't looking for something specific, otherwise he would have found it most likely. Or he was looking for something that simply wasn't in my head, which is why he jumped chaotically through memories, hoping to find at least something similar. My Occlumency skills are worthless, as it turned out. And Dumbledore is still right, I really wanted to discuss what happened with someone, to speak out, to hear explanations. Not to get Snape locked up, but purely for psychological relief. And now it won't work out.
I tearfully beg Black to get me the best, most powerful, most impenetrable artifacts against Legilimency. Black was surprised that this hit me so hard, but he got the protection. Also earrings. He apologized that they're still not the best ones, because the best ones will only accept Blacks. But still much stronger than similar goods available for public sale. Having put on the new accessory, I calmed down somewhat, although it's probably self-deception, and the earrings are unlikely to save me from Dumbledore or Snape.
After such an abnormal school year, the ordinary summer of an ordinary schoolchild is the best medicine for stress. Well, almost ordinary, because Sirius and Rita's wedding is planned for mid-July. The future spouses are passionately arguing, especially about the guests. Rita wants to invite all the high society of magical Britain - I think she'll continue fishing for future interviews even at her own wedding. Sirius wants to invite the remnants of the Order of the Phoenix and Harry's friends, and, for example, he doesn't want to see his cousin Narcissa with her family. Harry is naturally on Sirius's side, the mere thought that Malfoy will be at his godfather's wedding causes Potter's righteous anger. But Rita has one undeniable trump card that you can't argue with - her pregnancy, which she's not at all ashamed to use. Rita invited me to be a bridesmaid. I asked why me? Skeeter replied that I was the one who helped her meet her destiny. And besides, things aren't going well with her close friends. Not surprising, after all Rita is quite a bitch. I agreed, Snape already knows about our acquaintance anyway. And I won't have to do anything, Rita wants to control everything herself. I'm only required to find a beautiful green dress, the bride insists on green, the green color soothes her pregnant soul. She's always preferred it before.
I didn't mind, although shopping with Rita is hard work. But I have a universal reference book at hand: "who is who, to whom, when and why." And one burning question wouldn't give me peace:
"Rita, tell me, if a female Animagus is pregnant, can she use Animagus transformation? And what happens to the child then?"
She laughed:
"Sirius blabbed, didn't he? Well, okay. Well of course, Hermione, why not? Until the child is born, its magic is part of the mother's magic. And it transforms together with her. But in the future, its Animagus form might be completely unlike the parents' animals, if it becomes an Animagus at all."
Lupin will be Sirius's best man, who, by the way, has finally moved to Grimmauld permanently. I can bet that meeting me here once was an unpleasant surprise for him, but still he tried to awkwardly ask for forgiveness for almost biting me.
"It's nothing, Mr. Lupin, I understand everything," I begin sympathetically, "It's hard to blame a sick person for anything, it's his misfortune, not his fault. It's really hard to live with such a terrible disease. And hard to completely accept it. Sclerosis is very serious!"
Oh, you should have seen their eyes!
"But you can't give up, because millions of other people don't give up, they set alarms for certain times, make reminders for themselves, keep calendars, but don't forget to take their damn medicine!"
Silent scene. I proudly exit the stage with the look of a victor.
I still forced Sirius to take Harry to St. Mungo's. Even the future Mrs. Black couldn't force him to go to St. Mungo's for a checkup himself. They found some problems with Harry's insufficient body weight, stomach, hemoglobin level, naturally vision, prescribed a series of potions. They didn't find any multiple fractures or traces of child abuse. He certainly got hit by the Dursleys periodically, not only verbally but physically too, but nobody broke his bones. They also found a Dark Magic curse in the scar, but didn't understand that it was a Horcrux (or maybe it's not a Horcrux after all). They couldn't get rid of it, but assured that it's not urgent, the patient's life is not threatened.
***
I don't know how, but Sirius still defended his opinion about the Malfoys at the wedding. Namely - no Malfoys! How did he overcome pregnant Rita?! Probably it's all about what Rita said on the first day - Sirius is good in bed. I simply see no other explanation. Rita finally found me a green bridesmaid dress that satisfied her. She herself was in white, for ordinary brides - almost classic, for the magical world - a scandalous outfit. Her belly isn't showing yet, she can afford to shock the public with a Muggle dress.
The entire Prophet editorial staff was present at the wedding, probably an article will come out soon calling Rita the most charming bride and the wedding the main event of summer. I wouldn't be surprised if Rita herself writes it, under someone else's name. Dumbledore looked at me in the role of bridesmaid with suspicion, and the Weasley family with surprise, while I tried not to look at the headmaster. First there was a lavish ceremony for everyone, then the newlyweds, family members and one witness from each side went to the altar. I had a weak idea of this part of the ceremony and therefore was scared, but it turned out to be beautiful and mesmerizing too, even with cutting palms to spill blood on the altar. The family magic was pleased with the concluded union and passed as a powerful warm wave through all present. After such a gift, if Rita wasn't already expecting a child, she would most likely have gotten pregnant on the first night. The guests also got some. Good for Andromeda - she has a husband and someone to use the gift of magic with, but Harry, Lupin, Nymphadora and I are out of luck. Although, maybe Lupin will seduce Nymph on such an occasion? Eh, I feel sorry for her then, life with a sclerotic is no sugar.
The newlyweds have a Portkey to Greece booked for the day after tomorrow. The honeymoon will be peculiar, as Harry and Lupin will also go with them. Well okay, we can hope they'll split into pairs and won't interfere with each other. And since Harry is leaving anyway, I asked him for the Invisibility Cloak for this time. I have one vague thought about it...
***
My parents immediately said they wouldn't let me go to any Quidditch World Cup. Ordinary people have fan fights, it's scary to imagine what drunk fans with magic might do. So sit at home, Hermione, you'll be safer. And my theoretical musings about Barty Crouch died, never having had a chance to take shape.
But there was another thought, somewhat controversial. I don't need a wand for this. Early in the morning, when everyone is still asleep but it's already getting light, I called the Knight Bus and went to Little Hangleton. I didn't intend to approach the Riddle house closely - hell no, why risk it like that. Moreover, maybe there's nobody there, Peter is dead after all. But maybe it's the opposite, there might be another Death Eater there, stronger and more dangerous. No, my path lay to the cemetery. Wandering among the graves in Potter's cloak, I found a tombstone with the name Tom Riddle. I wasn't going to engage in exhumation, I'm already nervous. I decided to simply swap two stones. Tom Jr., aka Voldemort, clearly doesn't visit graves and shouldn't notice the trick. While I was swapping Riddle's stone with the stone of some other village resident using telekinesis, I broke into a sweat. But now it looks like it's always been that way. With a sense of duty fulfilled, I went home.
On the night after the championship, someone started ringing our doorbell frantically. When father opened it, we saw Susan and Hannah in pajamas. There were riots in the tent city, Aunt Amelia quickly Apparated them here and rushed back. We calmed them down, gave them tea, put them to bed. In the morning Amelia rang the doorbell - here's what you can respect her for: even at night in stress she Apparated not directly into our house, but in front of the entrance door. She only Apparates directly into the living room by prior agreement. The inviolability of private property is important. True, leaving girls in pajamas on the street at night isn't very reasonable, but Amelia still lives in the wizarding world, some realities of the Muggle world sometimes escape her. She told us about recent events and explained that she had to bring the girls specifically to us, because in the first magical war Death Eaters used such tactics: they caused riots somewhere, to deal with which Aurors were sent, while other Death Eaters meanwhile penetrated the homes of those Aurors and killed their loved ones, and we definitely don't have anyone in the Auror office.
I contacted Black to check how they survived the championship, got a disappointed answer that he didn't manage to show heroism, because he had to guard pregnant Rita, who was eager to fly as a beetle into the thick of events, and Harry with Ron. I knew marriage would be good for him. Here - he's already started making responsible decisions.
My friends knew about the Triwizard Tournament and were already anticipating the Christmas ball, so they suggested we go choose outfits together. I showed them the dress from Black's wedding, but they waved their hands at me: "What are you thinking, your photo in this dress was already in the newspaper! You need a new one, and preferably floor-length!" Shopping again...
And the next day an owl brought the Prophet with a scandalous article by Skeeter, that is, now Mrs. Black, about the ministry's incompetence, terrible organization of the championship and England's disgrace. Well, I see Rita isn't losing her form.