Gwen had to admit, she dearly loved a cold beer after a hot soak. She had made the cold beer a daily tradition long before the hot soak though. When she had started, eager and frenetic as these young recruits, she hadn't needed the soak, just the beer. The long hot soak hadn't become necessary or wanted for years. She had spent far too much time and far too much beer being exuberant in her youth, when, looking back on it, she could have been helping make the country safer for these girls and ones like them. She doubted any of these girls thought about anything beyond the game and the fans and the fame, same as she had done.
She drained the last of her beer while it was still tooth-numbingly cold, and set the bottle on table next to the sofa.
It would be her last.
After talking with Hermione, Gwen had gone on a tear through her old notes and several advanced Arithmancy books, and even some treatises on theoretical Arithmancy that hadn't been proven. She hadn't made any real headway on her project yet, but in researching she had come across several books on caring for one's body and brain, and she had been horrified to learn that alcohol diminished one's cognitive capacity over time. She had been fairly certain that such degeneration only happened to Muggles, but she was no fool. If there was even a chance it happened to Witches too, that was the end of that.
After tomorrow's practice, she would be switching to fruit juices and something the Americans had come up with - iced tea. She was planning on experimenting with it to get it right later that very evening, but it was tradition that the Captain celebrate a good practice with the team, so she was in the Crash Pad with the rest of the girls, smiling as they danced and imbibed a little too much. Sadly, one of those who enjoyed herself a little too much on a regular basis was Ginny, who liked to ensconce herself next to Gwen. Gwen didn't have any greater-than-thou attitude, but Ginny felt herself perhaps a bit closer to her than Gwen was comfortable with.
True to form, Ginny slid onto the sofa next to her and promptly belched flames.
"Scuse me." She grinned. "Firewhiskey's great. You're great too. Thans for bein a great Capn, Capn." Ginny's eyes were large and glassy, and her cheeks pink.
"You're welcome." Gwen answered.
"Bein Missus Potter is gonna be great too. We're gonna have lill redhead babies with green eyes and isss gonna be great. I'm gonna be a great Shaser and be famous and great."
"You're going to be Missus Potter?" Gwen arched an eyebrow.
"Yup. Harry soopt in, killt basisk, killt Tom, rescute luv uff s'life - thass me. We're dessiny. Dessint." Ginny frowned, "Desstined." She enunciated it slowly. "So he blongs t'me. Isss luv."
Ginny giggled then, and hid her smile behind a hand. "No no nononono... no. Nope. Can't say it."
Gwen had to admit she had a great deal of trouble imagining the man who could inspire the love of Hermione Granger getting together with a party girl like Ginevra Weasley. Yes, Ginny was drunk, but it struck Gwen like Godric Gryffindor dropping Rowena Ravenclaw for... well, for Ginny Weasley. It made no sense at all and was more than a little unbelieveable.
Gwen turned toward Ginny. "Can't say what? He's coming to visit you? That's where you go at night when you think nobody will notice you're gone?"
Ginny's grin fell. "No," She pouted, "Should be out gettin him back, but stuck here. Wanna play! Luv the team, Luv you. You're great, team's great. Gotta stay. Buuuuuutt... I fink he'll come to me, even if he disshes BookyBeaverBoringBushyBissh atth'altar."
Ginny threw her head back and laughed at that, and it wasn't a warm laugh. "Leave her inna wedding dress. Yeah, thasss good. Mmmm. Wanna nuther firewhiskey! You want one? I'll gesshu sum!"
Gwen held a hand out. "No! No thanks. I'm good."
"Okay! I'm gunna gessum. Lemme know iffyu wannwun." Ginny got up and made her way unsteadily back to the bar. Gwen knew Ginny was close to being cut off, so she didn't bother to try to steer her away from the booze. She'd learn her lesson tomorrow.
Or not.
It would be a little sad to see her go, but she wouldn't be the first talented hopeful to miss making the team due to inability to manage themselves. Still, Ginny had brought up an interesting story, and she looked forward to hearing what Hermione had to say about it on Friday.
Now that she had found someone she could be herself with, Gwen found she was looking forward to that more than anything. It made her wonder what Potter was like as well. The paper had made him out to be some gloryhound - but also a saviour, an attention seeking brat, and a host of other obviously false personas. Gwen couldn't help but think that anyone who could win a mind like Hermione's had to also be incredibly keen. She looked forward to seeing the two of them together, though she really had no way of knowing when or even if that was going to happen.
She really hoped it did though.
She took a look around at the Crash Pad, and she knew the place. She knew the sofas, the chairs, the comfy pillows, the bar, the fireplace, all of it. She knew it like the back of her hand - but for some reason the place she had spent so much time in felt false now. It felt... hollow. Yes, that was the word. It lacked meaning. It was still comfortable enough as a place, but she didn't belong there anymore. Like it was part of the mask that had come off and she was loathe to put back in place.
Would it really be so bad if she didn't play Quidditch anymore? She had tons of money, enough to live on comfortably for the rest of her life if she didn't go crazy with it. She could spend time with Dad while he still had time, devote some real time to a worthwhile project and really get stuck in. The more she thought about it, the more it appealed. She realized then that she'd had enough of Quidditch life.
She stood up and left the Crash Pad, but paused at the door to say goodbye to it and all the memories it held. She didn't bother to say anything to the rest of the girls, they were too drunk to care anyway at this point. After a last look around, Gwenog went home to check when her contract expired.
"What's this?" Malcolm frowned at the little multicoloured sphere with its coruscating, shifting hues. It hung from a silver chain, clearly made to wear as a necklace.
"Something Harry and I have been working on in our spare time. Granted that's only been a few days with planning the wedding and everything else, but we thought it was important because it will help us spend more time together as a family. It's a magic battery." Hermione beamed at her father. "It was Harry's idea, really. I think he would just love to have someone to fly with."
Malcolm looked at his daughter yet again gobsmacked at the incredible wonder of which she was capable.
"It should enable you to fly a broom and work the floo and other things that don't require active magic, but we haven't actually tested it yet." She quirked one side of her mouth the way she always did when things weren't exactly how she wanted them.
"How?!" He blurted. "I mean, we know you're a genius Hermione, but this... Would this let us see your school?!"
"In theory, yes, it should. In theory, this would be like a surrogate magical core. Everything checks out math-wise, but until we test it we won't know for sure."
"When will you get to test it?" He asked. He hadn't dared to hope of seeing her school for years - not since she was eleven.
"Not until tomorrow at least. It was draining to make, and then we had to fill it, so we're both a little exhausted right now. Tomorrow we'll make a test monkey and hopefully the battery will react well to being bonded."
"What's that mean? Bonded?" He was talking magic with his baby! And understanding it! Finally!
"Well, in order for the magic inside the battery to respond to your will, the battery has to be bonded to you, and that will take a little of your blood to do. That's why we want to test it first and make sure it works properly first. It would be dangerous and foolish to just assume it works simply because the Arithmancy says it will."
"And Arithmancy is the magical engineering, so to speak. The math underlying the spells and whatnot?"
"You were listening!" She beamed at him. Oh, for the days when she looked up at him as though he knew all the secrets of the universe...
"Of course I was listening. It might take me a bit longer than your mother to understand, but I always listen, sweetheart. Well... when I'm not focused on punching your husband, that is. Sorry."
Hermione laughed and hugged him. "Already forgiven Dad, you know that. Though, speaking of... have you and Mum had a chance to talk about the whole England/Australia thing yet?"
He sighed at that. Now that he remembered their former life, he had to admit it had been a good one. He and Eleanor had grown up in England, it was their home... but he really didn't want to go back. There was something about living with so much sunshine - something neither he nor Eleanor had ever had before - that made them feel alive in a way that they never had before. It was a joy to get out of bed in the morning.
Neither of them had ever had any issues with depression or not wanting to get out of bed, but even when they stayed up too late and were cuddled together under the blankets, here the day called to them. They were happy here in a way they never had been in England. Every day felt like a vacation - especially now that Queenie and her man were around. He felt satisfied like never before and that was not something he ever wanted to give up. Fortunately for him, Eleanor felt the same way. They had tentatively broached the subject over dinner last night, but the real discussion hadn't happened until the wee hours during the happy afterglow.
"We have, and we think we're going to stay here. For the most part. We can afford to cut back on the number of clients at the practice, and maybe look at taking on a couple of associates to handle the extra load if we need some sudden time off. Your mother and I genuinely love it here. Since you two have the floo thingy, we can always turn up at Harry's Manor when we feel neglected." He grinned at her.
She squeezed him in a hug. When had she gotten so bloody strong? "We'd never neglect you on purpose, but there will be a large distraction soon. I rather imagine you might be coming to visit just for his or her sake." Hermione smiled at him with mature eyes as she rubbed one hand over her belly.
"Have you talked names yet?" After getting over the initial shock and getting to know Harry, Malcolm had to admit he had no fears left and he was looking forward to a little one to spoil. Maybe even moreso than Eleanor.
She crinkled her nose in a way that said they hadn't, and that she was putting it off even though she knew they shouldn't. She had done the same thing all through primary school. Usually about talking to other kids rather than her homework.
"No..." She said. "I know we should, but..."
"But what, sweetie? It's not like you put things off."
"Truthfully I'm a little afraid of it, Dad. What if Harry wants some hideous, weird name like Albus or Severus? What if he hates the idea of having a child named after a favourite literary character? What if -"
"Honey, Harry is your husband. He's a good kid, and he loves you. Do you really think he won't listen to what you want? It's not a snap decision, Hermione. Your mother and I talked about your name for nine months." He smiled gently at her and poked her in the shoulder to get her to breathe.
She opened her mouth to say something else, then closed it again, and wrapped her arms around him. Best feeling in the world.
"I have been going a little mental over it haven't I?"
"Don't make the mistakes your mother and I made when we first started. Talk to each other. About everything, even if it doesn't seem like it warrants. You both already know you're there for each other when the big stuff happens. You need to apply that to all the little stuff, too. You both need to the be the one person you can each tell anything to."
She looked at him as her lower lip quivered and her eyes started to water. "I missed you so much, Dad. I missed your advice." She smiled and dried her eyes with the backs of her fingers.
"I missed your magic, Hermione. You were always magic, even when you didn't have any."
He hugged her again and kissed the top of her head and thanked his lucky stars for having her there to hold at all.
2nd October, 1998
Hey Kiddo,
Hard to believe it's only 37 days until I get to officially marry your mum (again). I'm so happy and so excited I nearly wet myself every time I think about it. Yes, you're already on the way, and there will be some people who will want to make you feel bad about that. They'll say that your mum and I had to get married because I got her pregnant with you, they'll call you a bastard or some other such rubbish because they want to hurt you and make you feel bad. Don't listen. I have loved your mother for years and years, and she feels the same about me. I only ever wanted to be with her, and both of us wanted - want - you more than anything. We love each other and we love you. The circumstances surrounding your conception both break my heart and fill me with such love and admiration for your mum that it still makes me cry sometimes. You won't understand our feelings for a long time, but you do deserve to know the truth, so that's what I'm going to write to you today. I hope you come to understand it and how much we love each other and you when you're old enough.
Your mum and I had hard childhoods. We grew up in a time when witches and wizards killed each other for power and money and incredibly stupid ideas. We had to fight terrible, evil people just for the right to survive and live our lives as we choose. One of those people nearly killed me. Only your mother's love, dedication, and smarts saved my life.
Even so, while she sat by my side in the hospital one night, I did die. I stopped breathing and it took healers a long time to get me to start breathing again. That was when your mum decided you needed to exist. She felt helpless as she watched me die, and the only thing she could do about it was to have you. Your mum broke rules and laws and did the impossible, kiddo, just so you could be born and it makes me cry just thinking about what she went through.
Your mum is the most brilliant witch in the world though, and a few months after you became you, she found a cure for me. She saved me by making you, and then she saved me so I could be around to love you both. I'll never get over that.
So when some idiot inevitably tries to make you feel bad about who you are and when you were born, you look that idiot straight in the eye and you feel sorry for that person. They were never loved as much as you are. They were never wanted as much as you are, and their actions are making them even less loved and wanted. You be you, kiddo. And know that your mum and dad love you more than anything.
Sorry, I still get a bit weepy over the whole thing (don't tell anyone!). In other, happier news, your mum is out right now with your Auntie Luna and a woman who I think has the potential to be another of your Aunties. She's smart like your mum and plays Quidditch professionally, so I guess if you're reading this and you figure out I'm talking about your Auntie Gwenog, then I guess we'll know how it turned out. If she turns out to not be your auntie, then I guess that'll be a bit more sad, but I hope she is. She seems like a good person.
I'll wrap this up now, your Uncle Nev and I are taking your Nan and Granddad for their first flying lesson in a few minutes. I can't wait to teach you how to ride a bike and fly and iceskate and all kinds of brilliant things.
See you soon, kiddo.
Love always,
Dad
Luna stepped quietly out of the floo and smiled. Even though the floors were multicoloured inlaid stone and the walls plaster wainscotted in teak and the staircase polished marble, it still felt warm and inviting. It felt like Harry. Maybe it was the ancient racing brooms on display plaques here and there. Maybe it was the subtle reds and golds hidden within the decorations. Then again, it felt like Hermione too. Open shelves stuffed with books pressed between carved stone quill bookends. The center table held quill, ink, and pre-cut sheets of parchment on a blotter. Maybe it was the scent of vanilla and flowers, mixed with Harry's wilder pine-meets-the-ocean smell.
Whatever the reason, Luna felt immediately at home. A soft pop sounded next to her.
"Welcome to Potter House, Auntie Lovegood. Please follow Cassi to the sitting room." The House Elf bowed and walked toward the hallway on the far side of the foyer.
"Nice to meet you Cassi, you can call me Luna if you like. Thanks for taking care of my friends."
"That bes Cassi's pleasure, Auntie Luna." Cassi smiled at her as she let Luna past her into the sitting room. She could see Harry's black mop of hair moving backward and forward slightly, and she could hear Hermione moaning, but she couldn't see her. Luna hadn't ever seen two real people having sex before, so she was a little curious, and quietly stepped around the side of the sofa to get a better look.
Instead, she saw Harry working his thumbs into the soles of Hermione's feet.
"Hey Luna," Harry smiled at her, "Come on in, don't be shy."
Luna flushed slightly at that. She had had a crush on Harry not that long ago, and an invitation like that sent her mind all kinds of places. She knew there was no chance of anything like that happening, so she calmly put those thoughts aside for later. "Hey Harry." She smiled at him. "Is that pleasurable or painful, Hermione? I can't quite tell."
"It's uhhh... It's bliss, Luna. Especially after lugging an extra twenty pounds around all the time. Would you mind, love?" Hermione looked at Harry.
"Mind what?" He looked up as he finished and cleaned the oil from her foot before he let it go.
"Would you do Luna's feet?"
"Well, if you don't mind loaning me out, love. I know how possessive you get." He winked at Luna.
"He does have a point, you know." Luna grinned at Hermione.
Hermione levered herself up and swung her feet back to her slippers before she reached over and kissed Harry deeply. "Prat." She stood and moved to the chair beside Harry, and motioned for Luna to take her place on the sofa.
Harry took a moment to rub the muscles of his hands while Luna took her shoes and socks off, and then poured some more oil on his hands to warm the oil up. Luna lay back as Hermione had done, and put her feet in his lap.
Harry immediately laughed. Luna's toenails were all different colours.
"Is something funny?" She asked.
Harry shook his head. "Nope. Everything is exactly as it should be, I just should've guessed."
"Yes, you should have." She smiled. Harry grinned and took her left foot in his hands. His hands were surprisingly rough, but also gentle. She knew her feet were clean as she'd showered not half an hour ago, so she relaxed, lulled by his rhythmic squeezing. Then he started actually massaging, using his thumbs and knuckles to squeeze and stretch the muscles in her feet. There was one particular spot that usually cramped when she was on the ladder for too long, and when Harry worked on it, she found herself making the same noises Hermione had, without meaning to. She heard Hermione giggle and looked over at her, but she was smiling as she watched.
"I know, right?" She grinned.
Harry switched to her right foot after he decided her left was finished.
"I think we may not need a spa day after this, Hermione." She smiled back.
"I get one every day, thanks to Manslave Honeybuns. He pampers me mercilessly. Today is mostly about just having some girl time. I miss you and wanted to spend some time with you, but I also want your opinion on our third party member."
"You already know my opinion on Harry, Hermione." Luna said. Why would she want her opinion on someone they already discussed at length?
"Not Harry. We're going to spa time with a witch I met last week. I trust your opinion and I want to know if you think we can trust her. I like her, but I only met her once."
"OhOoohhhh." Harry had hit that particular spot on her right foot. "Ahem, I'll be happy to help if I can." She smiled back at Hermione while biting her lip.
Harry finished her right foot, and cleaned them both off, then dried them on the towel he'd used for Hermione's feet.
"Thank you both, that was quite lovely." She wondered if maybe Harry would teach that to Neville... Neville? Why had she thought of him just then? Hadn't she decided they were finished? He wanted his plants and to settle down and maybe teach, she wanted to explore everything everywhere, find what didn't want to be found. They were too different, and she didn't want to keep him waiting for her when he had so much to give some lucky girl who... The thought of him with someone else was unexpectedly painful. Deeply painful. Was she wrong? Or did she want him anyway, and damn the consequences? Strange...
"You alright Luna? Did I hurt something?" Harry asked, his brow furrowed.
Luna smiled back at him. "No no, nothing like that. I just realized I'm in need of some girl talk."
"Well that's handy." Hermione smiled.
"Oh." Harry and Hermione both said in unison. The Wards had just alerted them to a presence.
"Guess your third just arrived." Harry said as he gathered up the oil and cleaning cloth and towel. "I'll be upstairs. You've got your -"
"Yes love, I have the emergency portkey, my backup wand, and everything else." Hermione smiled at him. "Have fun tinkering while we're gone. We'll let you know when we get back."
Harry leaned down and kissed her soundly. "Have fun. Love you."
"Love you too, sexy." She smiled back at him, then watched him walk away. Luna watched too.
Hermione sighed when Harry bounded up the stairs, then stood up and walked to the front hall to pick up her purse and jacket.
"So where are we off to?" Luna asked her.
"I wanted to try something different, so I booked the three of us spa treatments in the magical area of San Diego California."
Luna squealed and hugged Hermione. "I've never been there!"
Hermione laughed. "Me either, this will be new for both of us." She opened the front door and closed it behind them after Luna was out. "It's a fair walk to the edge of the Wards, I thought we'd meet her halfway."
They met near one of the fountains, and as they watched the witch approach, Luna couldn't help but feel there was something familiar about her.
"Good afternoon!" Hermione waved to the witch.
"Good afternoon!" She waved back. She was shortish, slightly shorter than she was, which made Hermione the giraffe of the three, at about five-eight. The new witch was also clearly fit and athletic, though not nearly as toned as Hermione was - which might just be Hermione's illusion. She couldn't see the baby, after all.
"I hope you don't have anything against spas or having your nails done." Hermione said, "That's the plan to begin with. Afters will be back here for showtime."
"Wow," The other witch raised her eyebrows, "That's not something I've done in a very long time. Also, what's showtime?"
Hermione simply smiled. "I had hair and nails done with my mum a few weeks ago, and I found it quite nice. That was the first time, and we managed to talk more during that hour than we had previously, so I thought it might be a different sort of venue for getting to know each other, when we all look equally ridiculous."
Luna smiled at that. Hermione loved equal footing, even though it was difficult to find something to be equal to Hermione about.
"I'm game if you are." The other witch smiled. "Nice to see you again Luna. You turned out quite pretty."
Luna's smile faltered. She thought there was something familiar about her! Where though, and when?
"Clearly we've met, but I don't remember - " She started.
"No, I didn't think you would. You were only five or six, and I didn't have nearly as much hair back then. I used to babysit you sometimes during the summers."
Images bubbled up from memory then, games of tag, being cuddled because she didn't know where mummy and daddy were, secret broomrides around the house.
"Gennug?" She asked.
The other witch's face grew into a broad smile. "You always had trouble with doublewes."
Luna stepped into her and hugged her second-ever friend. "I missed you! What happened to you?"
"Recruited out of seventh year, been playing for Holyhead ever since. Never really stopped to think about anyone but myself while I was young, and by the time I wasn't so young, it had already been a long time. Glad you turned out alright though. I was sorry to hear about your mum. She was a lovely witch."
Luna let her go and took a step back. "Thanks." Mum in the garden, mum hunched over her workbook, mum happily singing while she cooked. The images were never far from the surface, even though she'd dealt with most of the grief. The mum-sized hole in her heart was always there. Father did his best, but... "You would have been a year older than Hermione then, you didn't need to be a replacement mum."
"I'd have come anyway if I'd had a thought in my head. I was always partying. Or healing."
"Let's have the discussion in comfort and not standing in the garden." Hermione suggested as she held out a squashed soda can she'd pulled from her purse. Luna could tell Hermione had seen her reaction to Gwen talking about her mum and was steering things in another direction. She was such a great friend. Luna smiled briefly to Hermione, and placed her index finger on the Portkey. Gwen pinched it between her finger and thumb, as did Hermione.
"Let's go have fun." Hermione said, and the familiar yank-and-spin grabbed the three of them. They landed quietly in the middle of a shopping district. The sun was out, without a single cloud to sully the pure blue dome above them. To their left was the pacific ocean, and a well-maintained stone staircase leading down the cliff face to the golden sand below. Under their feet was a patch of green grass that surrounded a fountain. They could tell that most of the shops around them were muggle, but there were also a couple that stood out as magical, including the one directly behind them called The Golden Portal. Its doors were round, gold, and displayed a constantly shifting view of different places on their surface. Almost none of the people walking around acknowledged its existence.
Hermione tucked the portkey back into her purse and strode toward The Golden Portal. She pulled one of the doors open, and stepped aside. "I'm told blissful relaxation awaits, so after you."
Luna smiled. "After Harry massaging my feet, I think any more might send me into a coma."
Gwen's eyebrows climbed. "Harry Potter massaged your feet? This morning?"
Luna nodded. "After Hermione loaned him out, of course. He's a wonderful friend and a wonderful masseur. Doesn't Hermione look Happy?"
"I absolutely am, even if I don't look it, and there's a good reason for that." Hermione smiled knowingly.
"Okay, wow. I thought... I don't know, that he'd be out slaying evil or diplomacizing dragons or something." She stepped past Hermione to join Luna in the reception area, and Hermione let the door close behind her as she entered.
"We keep those things for the weekends. You should always do something fun on the weekend." Hermione said seriously.
Gwen just stared at her, stunned. Slaying evil and talking to dragons was fun? What did they do during the week?! She closed her mouth and took a breath as she felt very very small, then noticed Luna trying not to smile.
Oh.
She was taking the piss. Hermione Potter was taking the piss. Some rational part of her mind told her that of course Hermione took the piss, she was a witch just like she was, had friends just like she did, and joked around just like any other witch. She was Hermione Potter though, so she just did it better. Still, it was a sobering realization to Gwen - not that Hermione was a normal witch, but that Gwen herself had made the mistake of thinking that she wasn't. She had been caught up in the same hype and nonsense as everyone else, and had been looking through starry-eyed goggles.
She smiled sheepishly back at Hermione, and nodded. "Nice one. Hook, line, and sinker, that was."
Luna giggled to her left. "It's so much fun to just hang out again."
Hermione broke into a grin, and then stepped up to the reception counter. The young witch behind the counter looked up expectantly.
"Party of three, appointment is under Hermione Potter."
The young witch's eyebrows fell flat. "Hermione Potter. Right. You're the fourth one this week." She tapped some keys on the computer. "Well, you do have a reserva-" She looked up from the computer screen to see Hermione holding up her House Potter ring. The young witch's eyes went wide and she stumbled over herself trying to apologize. "Mrs. Potter! For real! I'm so sorry, we have people trying to claim they're you or your husband constantly, my apologies! just follow me, and we'll get you situated."
She bustled out from behind the counter and down the hallway to a frosted glass door, which she held open for them.
Ahead and to the right, Mrs. Potter, you'll see a plate above the door that says 'Rainforest Room', that's your first destination. We have you down for a half hour's whirlpool hot tub before your massages. You'll find robes, towels, and modesty suits in the changeroom before you get to the pool."
"Thank you." Hermione smiled at the girl. "You really get people pretending to be me?"
"Yes ma'am, all the time." The attendant had stars in her eyes as Hermione passed her.
"Nobody willing to help, everyone willing to cash in." Gwen muttered as she followed Luna down the hallway to the Rainforest room.
The Rainforest Room was exactly what it advertised. Small palm trees, vines, Passion flowers, orchids, tiger lilies, and baby banana trees filled the space, with beautifully crafted wooden walkways between sections. Signs on some of the trees told what lay down what path. To their left were changing areas and open cubbies as well as lockable ones. Flashes of colour among the already brightly-coloured plants told of toucans and parrots and other rainforest fauna.
Hermione stopped at the door to take it all in.
"Is there a problem, ma'am?" The attendant asked worriedly.
"No! No. Your website said it was a rainforest themed room, but... this is brilliant!" She smiled at the worried witch again.
"Oh good. We do our best, ma'am. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate, my name is Gloria. Enjoy your stay, Missus Potter."
"Thank you, Gloria. It's Hermione, pleasure to meet you." Gloria grinned hugely as she closed the door to the Rainforest room.
The quickly changed into the provided 'modesty suits', which were in fact nothing more than black bikinis. Gwenog put a brave face on as they walked the cedar path toward the whirlpool, but she didn't even own underthings that small and felt very naked.
Luna seemed disappointed when they arrived at the whirlpool.
"What's the matter?" Hermione asked her.
Luna stuck her bottom lip out. "It said whirlpool. I was expecting a giant swirling vortex of fun."
Hermione and Gwen both laughed, and Hermione hugged her. "Sorry to disappoint. It's more like an underwater massage."
"Oh."
Gwen was first into the pool. She descended the stone stairs into the frothing, churning water with one hand on the stone that made up the back wall of their little grotto. "It's so warm!" She exclaimed, her face stretched by her surprise.
"The whole point is to relax." Hermione instructed. "After this there will be massages and nail and skin treatments, then home for food and showtime."
"Yay!" Luna grinned. She didn't bother with the stairs and just jumped into the middle of the pool. The middle of the pool was deeper than the rest though, so she managed to splash water up her nose. Even so, Luna only grinned and lay back to float in the center of the pool. "Ahhhh." She sighed.
"Now," Hermione grinned as she sat on the stone bench, up to her neck in the warm, turbulent water, "I am dying to hear all about your parties and healing." She said to Gwen.
"Yes!" Luna made her way to sit next to Gwen on the opposite side. "I want to hear all about the first boy you kissed too."
Gwen laughed. "Graham Kingsbury, fourth year in the Three Broomsticks. Massively disappointing."
"Aww. Sorry." Luna frowned. "Neville Longbottom, this year in the Great Hall, just after the battle. Made my nethers tingle something fierce." She grinned at the memory.
"Ha ha! Way to go Luna!" Hermione giggled. "You do look really good together."
Luna smiled back at her, but it wasn't Luna's usual smile. There was something overshadowing it.
"Yeah, good job!" Gwen agreed. "How is he? I mean, is he a keeper? The ones I've kissed that made me tingle were all coreless bludgers in the end. I'd love to find one I could respect that made me tingle."
"That's one of the things I want to talk about, but first I want to hear Hermione's first kiss." Luna waggled her eyebrows at her.
Hermione's grin fell. "I was... I was really stupid, if I'm honest. Very first kiss ever was Harry, on the train back to school third year. It should have been the only one, but I was young and dumb. It was nice, but he was asleep at the time. I figured it would be the same if he was awake or asleep because he's the same person awake or asleep, right?" She quirked one corner of her mouth. "It made sense to me at the time. Anyway, after that was Viktor Krum at the Yule Ball fourth year, then Ronald Weasley in the Chamber of Secrets during the battle. Krum was alright, but it was like kissing a Grindylow that you know is just waiting for you to drop your guard so it can eat you. I couldn't get away from him fast enough. He also kept calling me Hermoninny, and that annoyed me no end. Ronald was a spur-of-the-moment thing. We'd just destroyed one of Riddle's... one of Voldemort's artefacts, and there was this huge scary burst of magic as it was destroyed, and I was so happy to be alive just then. Ronald on the other hand started getting grabby and I had to smack him after I'd just kissed him. He started calling me his girlfriend after that and expected me to suddenly turn into Lavender Brown and start following him around and making loveydovey faces and cooking and cleaning up after him. I'm sorry I waited as long as I did to tell him to shove off. Then... Then there was Harry. Awake this time. I could feel him before... When our lips touched, fireworks. In my head and my knickers. The first time his tongue touched mine I swear to Merlin a lightning bolt hit the both of us and I nearly mounted him right there on the hospital bed. So yeah. Might have been Harry and only Harry since third year if I hadn't been so bloody stupid."
"Aww, that's nice though, it worked out in the end, and you're getting married next month!" Luna smiled.
"That's what I'm talking about." Gwen nodded. "That's what I want. I don't think I'm going to find it on the pitch, either. I'm twenty-six, that's a decade on the field. If it was there to be found I think I would have by now."
Hermione reached out to touch Gwen's shoulder in sympathy. "Sorry, but I think you're probably right. I can't see a mind that could keep up with you playing Quidditch for a living - though you're living proof that it does happen. You might be better off looking for an intellect with a nice bum rather than the other way around."
Both Gwen and Luna laughed at that.
"I think you might be right." Gwen grinned. "So, what's up with Neville then?" She turned to Luna.
Luna sighed. "Maybe nothing, maybe everything. We were intimate for about a month, and that was wonderful. It was lovely to see his passion directed at me rather than a greenhouse, and I was quite happy with the sex. It took a few tries to get him over his fear of hurting me, but after that it was brilliant. Too brilliant, almost."
"Too brilliant?" Hermione frowned.
"I didn't want it to end. I knew it would, it had to. I want to go scour the world for rare or even unique animals. That's what my life is going to be. Neville will always be tied to his greenhouses and his plants. He loves that, and I couldn't deny him that. I broke it off with him after the month, and he understood why. I understood why - at least, I thought I did."
"What happened?" Gwen asked.
"At your birthday, when you told us your secret. Neville figured out there was something wrong and instead of jumping to conclusions, he maturely asked for an explanation."
"I remember." Hermione nodded.
"It's just... that maturity, that confidence and poise... that was new. It hurt. It physically hurt my chest that I had missed him becoming that. Yes, it was also hotter than fiendfyre, but it felt like I had been kicked when I realized that I had given that up on purpose. Then this morning he just snuck into my thoughts completely out of the blue, while I was getting a massage from Harry bloody Potter. I mean, I had a crush on Harry since second year, I should have been thinking about... well, you know. Instead I was wondering if he would teach the foot massage to Neville."
Gwen looked between Hermione and Luna. "You have a crush on her husband? And you're okay with that?"
Hermione smiled. "Luna's my best friend, and she knows both of us. I know nothing would ever happen, neither Harry nor Luna would ever do that to me. Also, pretty much every girl has a crush on my husband. I don't like it, but it's not like I can do anything about it."
"Oh. Yeah, I suppose." Gwen was glad there wasn't any kind of threatening undercurrents between the two. The aura of love and trust between them was so completely alien and so utterly wonderful. In the locker rooms it was more like a shark tank - the words might be the same, but most of the girls went out of their ways to poach each other's boyfriends. If any of them ever caught a whiff of Lord Harry Potter-Black... the frenzy would know no bounds.
"Luna..." Hermione placed her hand between her own breasts, "Does it feel like a glowy ball of excitement and anxiety and hope and fear and a ton of different things right here?"
"Yes!" Luna's eyebrows jumped.
"Do you keep expecting to see his face? Like he's going to just show up while you're showering or off in the field, or just at the strangest times?"
"Yes! It makes no sense! What is it?"
Hermione sighed, and could tell from the look in Gwen's eyes she had the same sympathy. "You're in love with Neville. You'll need to talk to each other and see what you can work out, because those feelings don't go away. Trust me, I know."
Luna sighed. "Shit. That's what I hoped... and feared... it was."
Gwen put an arm around Luna's shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "I'd give a lot to feel that way. Enjoy it!" She held her fist out in front of her, "Then go subjugate your man. Take him! Own him!" She grinned.
Luna and Hermione giggled.
"Sorry, slipped into Captain Persona there for a second." Gwen apologized.
"Well she's not wrong." Luna beamed as she hugged Gwen back. "Do you think I should grind him into the bed before or after we talk things over?"
"Well, if you do it after, it might be a happy taste of things to come. On the other hand if you do it before, he might be a little more... open to suggestion." Gwen winked at her.
Luna laughed. "Hermione?"
Hermione just blushed as she tried not to smile. "Before, during, after... bed, table, floor... you know."
Luna and Gwen both burst into gales of laughter.
Gwen wiped her eyes when the guffaws had dwindled into chuckles. "You lucky witch! You're both lucky!"
"I suppose we are." Luna smiled happily.
Gwen wiped tears from the corners of her eyes before her gaze settled on Hermione. "I'm sorry, I can't hold it in anymore. Why, if you don't mind me asking, are you getting married next month when you're already married? I mean, you're wearing the Potter House ring, and you couldn't do that if you weren't married. I suppose your last name would have already been changed at the Ministry as well or nobody would recognize you as Mrs. Potter. Potter-Black, rather." Gwen asked.
Hermione smiled. "That's going to be the first thing I show you during showtime. I had a chat with Manager Gutspike the other day and he was kind enough to copy his memory of our magical wedding. I thought it would be better to see both of us rather than just Harry or me."
"Aww, you didn't have to go to all that trouble!" Luna pouted at Hermione, "But I'm glad you did!" She grinned. "Yeee! I can't wait!"
"That's what Showtime is? You're going to share memories?" Gwenog's jaw dropped of its own accord.
"Potter House has a lovely old Pensieve built into a stone table. Luna asked to see our magical wedding, so that's how today started."
"Brilliant. I can't wait to see this. I heard that Dumbledore had Pensieve when I was at school, but I've never seen one before."
"Me either." Luna said.
"Well... are you feeling warm and relaxed? We could move on to the next treatment if you want." Hermione suggested.
"Yes!" Luna jumped up and made her way to the stairs out of the pool.
"As for the why... for my parents, mostly. Harry and I married magically without them. That's fine for the magical world, but my parents are both non-magical, so the ceremony will be to include them in our lives. Also so there's nowhere Harry can get away from me. He's mine in every world." She smiled fiercely as she followed Luna and Gwen out of the pool.
Gwen chuckled. "I was about to say that's really sweet of you about your parents, but that smile - that smile right there. That makes me feel sorry for anyone with designs on him."
Hermione quirked one corner of her mouth again. "Sadly, that's a lot of people you're feeling sorry for then. But really... you should. I'll protect him and us with everything I have."
The look she saw in Hermione's eyes made Gwen's guts go cold and her knees weak. She had no doubts whatsoever as to the outcome of that protection. This was the woman who had killed Death Eaters by the handful and faced down a Dark Lord. She shivered, then put an arm around Hermione's shoulders.
"I'll clean up the leftovers, if there are any. I know I'm late to the party, but my wand is yours if you want it."
Hermione stopped and stared at Gwen, wondering if she was aware she'd just offered what could be construed as an oath of fealty. "I appreciate that. I would love to have more friends." She smiled and gave the witch a squeeze.
Gwen squeezed her back and smiled. She couldn't help it. After so long being The Captain, after learning to guard everything she said and did all the time because the rest of the girls would seize on it as teasing bait or worse... The simple, honest trust Hermione and Luna displayed was just too overwhelming. Too enticing. Too bloody wonderful. It felt so good to just be Gwen again. It felt doubly good to be accepted by witches she could respect.
Gloria was standing in the hall waiting for them when Luna opened the door.
"Oh, hello again." Luna smiled at her.
Gloria waited until Gwen and Hermione were within earshot. "Hello again," Gloria smiled, "If you'll follow me, I'll lead you to your masseuses, we have you booked in the Cloud Room."
"That sounds lovely." Luna said dreamily.
"It is one of our most popular rooms," Gloria turned and walked backward to smile and explain, "Do you have a preference for aerial vista?"
"Pardon?" Hermione frowned.
"Here we are." Gloria opened a thick wooden door and led them into a completely white room. Even the twin massage benches in the center of the room were completely white. Gloria took out her wand and tapped a panel on the wall by the door. "Aerial Montana." She said, and clouds appeared at knee level. After a moment there was a break in the clouds and the entire floor of the room was replaced by an aerial view of grey mountains and green grassland.
"Oh." Hermione said. "Oh that's just lovely."
"So did you have a preference for aerial vista?" Gloria repeated with an understanding smile.
"Do you have aerial Brazil?" Luna asked.
Gloria nodded as the vista changed to green jungle and mountains.
Luna turned to look at Hermione, but Hermione shook her head. "I had a lovely massage this morning, thanks to Harry. This is all you and Gwen. You know I can't lie on my stomach due to my... stomach issues. Not for a while, anyway."
Gwen's smile fell. "You didn't say anything. Are you alright?"
"Perfectly fine." Hermione replied with a smile, "Already taken care of by multiple healers and concerned parents. I just can't lie on my stomach for a while."
"Oh." Gwen still frowned, but let it go. She was concerned, but didn't think Hermione counted her enough of a friend yet to listen. Besides, she was Hermione Potter. She knew what she was doing. "Sorry then. I guess we'll have to come back when you can."
Hermione grinned at that. "That is a definite yes. Now go on, hop up and enjoy it. You've got -" She turned to Gloria, "What's next, body scrubs?"
Gloria nodded. "Yes ma'am, with scents that can be chosen at the time."
Hermione smiled at Gloria again. "Definitely coming back again later." She turned back to Luna and Gwen, who had disrobed and lain on the massage tables and were draped by soft white towels over their behinds. "Nails and faces are last, I'll join again for those."
"Aren't you going to be bored just waiting?" Gwen asked.
Hermione smiled at her. "I brought my laptop. I have some calculations I want to go over and some simulations to run."
Gwen chuckled. "I should've guessed."
Hermione just smiled at her and pulled a comfortable-looking divan from her bag the size of a teabag, then enlarged it in the corner of the room.
Gwen and Luna received muscle-melting massages, and every soft moan or groan from either one of them caused Hermione's mouth to twitch into a smile despite her concentration.
Two different witches entered the room when the massages were done, and waved a number of samples under Gwen and Luna's faces. Luna chose honeysuckle and vanilla, and Gwen chose lilac and coconut. Each of their chosen scents was combined with a mound of rough salt, which was then expertly ground into their skins as gently as possible, with special care given to rough spots such as their heels and elbows.
When that was all finished and the two bodyscrub witches had left the room again, Gwen and Luna both lay there a long moment.
"I can't even describe it." Luna said finally. "It's like I want to go to sleep but I have way too much energy. And I don't want to waste smelling this good."
"I haven't felt this feminine in a long time. Maybe ever. I can't remember." Gwen agreed.
"Ready for the face and nails then?" Hermione asked as she closed her laptop.
"Ready for a hot date." Gwen sighed as she forced herself off the massage table.
Hermione shrunk the divan and stowed it and her laptop back in her bag while Gwen and Luna got dressed, and Gloria showed up again as they were about to leave the room to look for her.
"Everything satisfactory, Missus Potter-Black?" Gloria asked hopefully.
"Everything is lovely so far, thank you. Nails and face next?"
"Yes ma'am, if you'll follow me, I'll take you to one of our application rooms. We have a large Application room for ladies just stopping by to have their nails done, or nails plus face, that's our most popular treatment, but we also have several private Application rooms for private parties such as yours. Feel free in the future to request one when you book your appointments."
"Oh, that's nice. Thank you for that. We will definitely be returning." Hermione smiled.
"In that case, please see me at the front desk before you leave, we can also set a passphrase for you to ensure that in the future we know it's really you."
"Oh, well done. That should help whoever is booking."
"We aim to please, ma'am." Gloria smiled and opened another door after leading them through several corridors. This room had three dentists' chairs in it - Hermione recognized them immediately - and soothing forest sounds playing over unseen speakers. "Please have a seat, your specialists will be with you in a moment." Gloria bowed and shut the door behind her.
"So?" Hermione asked as she took a seat, "Worth coming back do you think?"
"Yeah..." Luna said, "But not without friends. Having both of you here really makes it a good day."
Gwen smiled, touched by Luna's honesty. "Agreed. I could see popping in for face and nails and popping out again if you have somewhere important to be, but it's the company that makes the experience."
"Yes, exactly." Luna nodded solemnly.
"Good, that's one more thing off the list." Hermione smiled.
Three more witches entered the room then, carrying trays of bottles, vials, and pastes.
"Good morning ladies." Said the last to enter, as she closed the door behind her. "I'm Natalie, this is Amanda, and this is Kim. Is this your first time with us?"
All three seated witches nodded.
"Excellent!" Natalie smiled. "Before we get started, there are a few options you get to choose from. First, your nails. Our nail options include making them grow very quickly, making them grow very slowly, making them extra pliable so they won't break, but they will bend quite easily and won't be as useful, or making them extra strong so they won't bend but will break if you try to lift an erumpent with them. Those are just the potion options, of course. We can also make them look any way you like, though the Statute of Secrecy does forbid moving pictures."
"We'll be back next month, so I'd like the slow growth extra-strong, please." Hermione said with a smile. "Umm... and not too sharp please? I'd like to keep my husband's skin where it is for now."
Natalie, Amanda and Kim all laughed. "A cute one, is he?" Amanda asked with a wink.
Hermione grinned back. "I could show you, but then I'd have to Obliviate you."
For some reason, that made them laugh harder.
"Alright, slow growth extra strong for you, you ladies?" Natalie asked Gwen and Luna.
'Slow growth extra strong sounds great to me." Gwen smiled.
"I'd like no growth and extra strong please. They're just right for field work just now." Luna said.
"Excellent, now for the facial options. We have three, first is a mild exfoliant and revitaliser, that's the most popular. It leaves your skin feeling fresh and looking healthier. Next, there's the Smoothener potion treatment, it cleans out your pores and shrinks them slightly while clearing away any rough patches, but it will change your appearance some. Since it is in effect repairing the skin on your face, it will make you look a little younger. Third and last option is our most popular with the older ladies, it's a heavy duty version of the Smoothener, called Rewind, and it will actually take ten years off your face. The exfoliant and revitaliser is non-magical, so it will only last until your skin recovers, usually a few days to a week. Both the potion options last for roughly a month."
"Uhm... I'd like the Smoothener please." Gwen said in a small voice. Her cheeks pinked as well.
"I'll go for the exfoliant and revitaliser this time." Hermione said.
"Same for me please." Luna added.
Natalie rubbed her palms together and grinned. "You ladies just relax into your chairs and leave the rest to us. Once we've treated your nails and have your facials under way, we'll show you some samples and ask what you'd like your nails to look like, but that's the final step and takes no time at all. Think about it, talk about it, but above all, relax!"
None of the three witches felt particularly talkative, despite the good-natured efforts of Natalie, Amanda, and Kim - except where the colour of their nails was concerned. Luna decided she wanted a different colour for all ten of her nails, with a different coloured flower on each. She smiled brightly to herself when she saw the finished product. Gwen decided on dark forest green for hers, with a tiny gold eagle claw on each. Hermione went with plain scarlet on her hands, but on her toes she asked for the same scarlet, with a gold letter on each toe that spelled Gryffindor - but the O was actually a tiny gold snitch. She thought Harry might get a kick out of it.
When they were all finished, Hermione, Luna, and especially Gwen stared in wonder at the change to Gwen's face. Not her features - those were the same, but her skin was no longer a different colour on her cheekbones, and the tired, leathery texture brought on by a decade of windburn had completely vanished. She looked like she was fresh off of the Hogwarts Express. Gwen looked in the mirror with shock and disbelief. The change had happened so slowly, over ten years, that she had completely forgotten what she had looked like when she still lived with her parents. She ran her fingers over the smooth, taut, light-caramel skin of her cheeks, as though to make sure her reflection was really her own face.
"That... I don't believe it!" She goggled.
Kim smiled at Gwen's reaction. "Your facial skin has a load of damage on the high points. Do you play quidditch a lot?"
"Uhmmyeah." Gwen answered, only half-attentive.
"That explains it, it looked like wind damage. You can reverse that damage with regular application of the exfoliant and revitaliser treatments, but that will take time - a few months, probably, but you shouldn't bother starting that until you're no longer taking the damage. Otherwise you just won't make any repairs."
"I could look like this all the time?!"
"Well... yeah," Kim smiled, "It's your face. You just need to look after it."
"Thank you." Gwen said softly, still captivated by the change.
"Anytime." Kim finished replacing all her equipment on her tray and got up to join Natalie and Amanda on their way out.
"You look great!" Luna smiled at Gwen, "Not that you didn't before, but we could all be yearmates now."
Gwen jumped out of her chair and pulled Hermione out of hers, into a fierce hug. "Thank you. This was such a brilliant idea! I had no clue..."
Luna grinned and joined the hug. "This isn't even the fun part yet! I can't wait for showtime!"
"Come on then, the sooner we get back the sooner we can start." Hermione grinned.
Gloria was waiting for them in the hall. "Everything was satisfactory I hope?" She asked as they exited their Application room.
"Brilliant!" Gwen gushed. "I can scarcely believe it!"
Hermione smiled and nodded to Gloria. "More than."
Gloria seemed to suddenly relax. "Oh good! I'm so glad you enjoyed yourselves. If you'll follow me, I'll take you back to the entrance, unless there's something else you'd like to try?"
"We need to get back, actually." Luna said with an anticipatory grin.
"Right this way." Gloria smiled and led them to the front counter. She turned to Hermione after she'd ducked behind the front counter. "Have you thought of a passphrase you'd like to use?" She asked.
"Yes." Hermione answered. "Amare Patronum."
"Can you spell that?"
Hermione spelled it for her, and Gloria noted it down in her file on the computer.
"There, now whenever anyone tries to impersonate you they'll be asked for your passphrase."
"You should also note that I will never pay with anything other than my House Ring, so anyone paying any other way is not me."
"Thank you, good to know as well." Gloria typed that bit of information into the computer.
"I'd also like to book the same time for November seventh, if I may."
Gloria nodded, and booked their next appointment. "How many?"
"At least three. Probably more, as I'm reasonably certain my mum would enjoy it as well."
"Excellent, you're all booked." Gloria pulled a sheet of parchment from the printer and set it on the counter in front of Hermione, who bit her lip and deliberately looked away, eyes closed, as she touched the face of her House Ring to the bottom of the parchment. Gloria filed the parchment once the Potter-Black seal sprang into existence and the computer registered the invoice paid.
"Wonderful," She stood and bowed again to the three witches. "It was an honor and a delight to have you, please do not hesitate to visit for any and all needs we may meet."
"Thanks, it was nice to meet you Gloria. We'll see you on the seventh, if you're working." Hermione smiled at the witch and calmly exited the building, though Luna could tell from the white around her eyes that Hermione was freaked out by the deferential treatment.
"Why'd you close your eyes?" Luna asked as they looked around for a secluded spot to portkey from.
Hermione stopped and sighed. "Harry. Made me promise not to look at the bill. Neither of us are used to having money, let alone wealth. He treats it like it doesn't matter because it doesn't seem real. I do the opposite and worry over every knut because it doesn't seem real. I mean, we've looked at the ledgers, we both know there's a ridiculous amount of money there, but..."
"Why doesn't it seem real?" Gwen asked with a frown.
"Because they didn't earn it themselves." Luna answered for her. "They're just like that, both of them."
Gwen laughed. "Guess how many other witches I've met who would feel the same? I'll give you a hint, you can count that high on no hands."
"That's why you're my best friend, Hermione. You're smart and nice and just lovely through and through, and you give the best love advice and I want you to be my baby's Godmother, when I get around to having one of course." Luna gave her a thrashing great hug in the middle of the populated commercial plaza.
"Aww. I love you too Luna." Hermione smiled and hugged her back.
They found a spot behind one of the restaurants that had their huge garbage bins in a solid brick enclosure, so they portkeyed back to Potter House from there.
They appeared in the garden behind the house, and Cassi appeared a moment later.
"Welcome home, Mistress." She said with a bow and a large grin.
"Thank you Cassi, it's wonderful to be home." Hermione hugged Cassi briefly. "Would you let Harry know we're back and that we'll be going straight to the library please?"
"Of course, Mistress." Cassi bowed and vanished with a soft pop.
Gwen marveled at the place as Hermione led them to the library. It was just as fine as the other pureblood mansions she'd seen, but unlike those museum showpieces, it was warm and inviting. It was a living space, meant to be lived in. There was no ostentation, no overt display of wealth whatsoever. The wealth was there, obviously, but it was utilitarian as well as ornamental. It was a Pensieve in the library instead of gold on the ceilings. It was the beautifully polished solid oak table Hermione put her bag down on, instead of custom-designed furniture no-one wanted to use.
Hermione turned to a blank wooden wall and put her hands on it, then slowly spread her hands apart. The solid wall became several bookshelves, as tall and thick as the rest of them in the library, and continued to part until there was space enough to walk between them. Each bookshelf held not books, but small glass vials filled with a silvery liquid, each labelled with tiny script. The parted bookshelves must have also had or concealed several exquisite extension charms, as there was now a whole other room beyond the shelves of vials. Hermione beckoned to Luna and Gwen as she walked between the shelves into the revealed room. A large stone table, edges covered in subtly colour-shifting runes dominated the space. There were no chairs or seating of any kind.
Hermione went to the only shelf in the room that had any space on it, and fingered through several vials before she selected one and returned to the stone table. She touched her House Ring to the top of the table, and the flat, polished stone table top simply floated into the air. It hung in the air, spinning lazily, about ten feet up. Beneath the stone tabletop was a... liquid of some kind. Its surface moved and refracted like water, but Gwen was positive it wasn't water.
Hermione poured the silvery liquid from the vial into the table, and it spread quickly and became a picture. It looked like an office of some kind, with Hermione and Harry - at least she assumed it was Harry - standing in it.
"The table can project the memory into the air above it if you touch certain runes in the right order, but I find it's a better experience to be inside the memory." Hermione explained, "I haven't seen this one yet, so we'll all be seeing it for the first time. Just stick your finger in the liquid."
All three of them put their fingers in the table at the same time, and each felt the sinking, melting, falling sensation of being pulled into the memory. She and Harry stood on the far side of the desk as Gutspike led them through the ceremony, but Hermione's attention was on the other Goblins in the room. She had missed it the first time, because of course her attention had been elsewhere, but this time she noticed the somewhat bored, annoyed expressions of the other Goblins shatter into disbelief and awe as the shining glow encompassed Harry and her. She made a mental note to find out what that meant later. She would also have to get her parents in there to see it during the reception sometime.
She turned her attention back to Harry's face as the memory came to a close, and smiled to herself at the now-familiar expression of love on his face.
They appeared back in the library then, Hermione had a warm, hungry feeling in her chest and a smile to match. Luna quietly shed tears while smiling at her, and engulfed her in a hug almost immediately.
"That was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." She sobbed.
Gwen's expression closely resembled that of the Goblins - if a whole lot easier to read. She looked stunned.
"Thanks Luna." Hermione said quietly into Luna's hair.
"Ahem." Gwen cleared her throat, "I have a memory you should see. It isn't nice, but you should see it. I also have some of your mum Luna, if you want to see them."
"Yes!" Luna let go of Hermione and attached herself to Gwen. "Thank you!"
"The thing is..." Gwen continued, "I've never even seen one of these before, so I have no idea how to get the memory from my head to the table."
"Well first you take off your Luna jacket..." Hermione smiled. Luna grinned at her and let go of Gwen to wipe tears from the corners of her eyes.
"You'll need your wand, of course." Hermione explained, "Get the memory firmly in your mind, see and hear every detail. Put your wand to your temple, and concentrate on copying that memory to your wand, then slowly pull your wand away from your head." She pulled a rack of empty vials from the shelf an picked one up. "I'll do one so you can see."
Gwen nodded, thanks evident on her face.
Hermione closed her eyes and concentrated, then pulled wispy silver strands from her temple that coagulated on the tip of her wand. She scraped the silver droplet into the empty vial, then put her wand down and quickly labelled the vial 'Meeting Gwen'. Then she handed Gwen an empty vial.
"Thanks." Gwen pulled her wand out and touched the tip of it to her temple as she concentrated, then pulled silver wisps out that stuck themselves to the tip of her wand in a silver droplet. She opened her eyes and broke into a huge grin. "I did it!"
Hermione and Luna both grinned. She put the memory into the empty vial and labelled it "Ginny Crash Pad' Hermione dipped the tip of her wand into the liquid of the table, and the memory of her wedding quickly collected on it. She pulled it out of the table and replaced it into its vial, then filed it away again.
Gwen tipped her memory into the table, set her wand and the empty vial down, then joined the other two inside the memory.
It wasn't a long memory, only a couple of minutes, but when it ended and they found themselves in the library again, both Hermione and Luna looked ready to spit fire.
"I can't believe what's she's become. She used to be so nice." Luna ground her teeth.
"BookyBeaverBoringBushyBitch!" Hermione's jaw worked, and her fists clenched and unclenched. "Cassi!"
Cassi appeared instantly.
"Would you please ask Harry to come join us, he needs to see this memory."
"Right away, Mistress." Cassi popped away.
"When was this, Gwen?"
"Two nights ago, after Wednesday practice."
Hermione's glower darkened even further. "Leave me at the altar... little..."
Cassi and Harry appeared in the room then, and Harry went immediately to Hermione.
"What is it? What's wrong?" He asked.
"Watch that memory. You'll see." Hermione fumed. Harry kissed her forehead and stuck his finger in the Pensieve.
"Thought it might upset. Sorry." Gwen apologized.
"No, don't be. You had nothing to do with it, of course. Thank you for showing this." Hermione gave a sad, half-angry smile to let Gwen know she bore no blame.
Harry came out of the memory then, drew a deep breath, and sighed. "Can't say I'm surprised, honestly. Disppointed, but not surprised. When was this?"
"Two days ago." Hermione growled.
Harry sighed again. "Look on the bright side, love." He smiled at Hermione. "Maybe she'll show up with Ron and I can punch them both into orbit."
Gwen's jaw dropped. "You can do that?!" It was out before she could stop it. Her brain caught up to her and told her 'He killed Voldemort, dummy! Of course he can do that.'
Harry chuckled and held his hand out for her to shake, so she did. "Nice to meet you, Miss Jones. No, of course I can't do that, but I'd dearly love to try."
"Oh." She said in a small voice while feeling dumb, "Right."
"I can't believe she actually thinks... No, of course I can, she's just like Ron, she doesn't think, just runs her stupid mouth. I'm sorry, love." He wrapped Hermione in a tender hug and held her head to his chest.
"You know she's going to try something at our wedding, don't you." She told him.
"Of course. Thanks to Miss Jones though, we know it's coming. I'd guess probably something potion-related."
"Um, it's Gwen. Please." Gwen smiled.
"Harry." He smiled back. He let Hermione go and put his hands on her shoulders, and looked into her eyes. "I was in the middle of making some food for you, I'll go finish and bring it up. We can talk about wedding security later when you're finished with showtime?"
Hermione took a deep breath and let it out, then kissed him. "You're wonderful and I don't deserve you."
Harry laughed and kissed her again quickly. "Right back at you, beautiful. You're mine and I'm yours." He smiled and strode away toward the library exit. "Back in a few minutes."
Hermione took another deep breath and let it out, and Gwen could fairly see her recover her equilibrium. How on Merlin's magical earth were they so normal? They were drippingly sweet newlyweds, same as any other, except for the small fact they'd killed an Immortal Dark Lord.
Luna rubbed Hermione's back and still looked angry.
"Thank you for that, Gwen. Really. We'll revise our plan for the wedding and tighten security some. I might even just add Wards that stop Ginny specifically from getting anywhere near the place. I'm sure her mum would help."
"Anything I can do, just ask." Gwen offered.
Hermione smiled at that. "I will, thanks. Let's lighten the mood some before we get to memories of Luna's mum..." Hermione breathed heavily for a moment, and forced Ginny out of her mind as she fingered through the vials again and selected a new one. "This one is when mum and I went to the hairdressers in Toowoomba and she embarrassed the magic out of me..."