Where the Heart Is

Hermione took the veil and smiled as she placed it atop the braids that formed a crown around her head.

"Thanks, Mum." Hermione smiled, feeling warm hands resting softly on her shoulders.

"Of course, darling."

Hermione froze. Turning, she saw Narcissa Malfoy standing behind her. Hermione began to scream, waking up moments later. Sweat dripped from her brow, and Hermione clutched her chest over the satin chemise Draco insisted she wear even if he wasn't sleeping with her.

Shaking Acara awake, Hermione threw on a traveling cloak, grabbed a magazine out of her satchel, and scribbled a quick note before Apparating away.

I've gone for my parents.

Draco read the note for the millionth time. Muggles were coming to his ancestral home. He didn't particularly care for the thought. Worse, he would have to tell his parents. Worst, he'd have to meet Hermione's parents. Draco swallowed, his throat dry and his palms sweating.

"Monica Wilkins? Have you been brushing twice a day as your dentist recommends?" Hermione asked, near tears. Her right hand held a clipboard, and her left hand was clenched on Acara's Disillusioned scruff. Part of her mind was aware that she looked ridiculously conspicuous. Her traveling cloak was badly Transfigured into a dress, her extremely long hair was ratty from half a night's sleep, and she could feel her emotions playing across her face.

The woman on the inside of the doorway blinked quickly several times and upon setting eyes on her daughter, pulled her into a crushing hug.

"Hermes, Hermes, Hermes!" The older woman repeated again and again. Hearing her old nickname and feeling the tight embrace of her mother's arms, Hermione wept uncontrollably.

"Who's at the door, dear?" a man's voice echoed from inside the house. He held a kitchen towel in one hand and a plate in the other.

As he came into Hermione's tear-filled view, she hiccupped and tried to compose herself. Swallowing and wiping her face furiously, she was finally able to ask, "Wendell Wilkins, have you been brushing twice a day as your dentist recommends?"

In as much time as it took the plate to fall to the floor and shatter, Hermione's father had her swept up in his arms, crushed once again in a loving embrace.

It took Hermione, Elise, and Nathaniel Granger half an hour to release all of the pent-up emotions their years apart had caused. Once they untangled limbs, Hermione's mum fetched tea and cool, damp towels for everyone. Hermione sat next to her dad on the couch, his arm draped around her shoulders. They sat in easy silence, enjoying the simple proximity of each other.

"What on Earth is Crooks sniffing at?" Nathaniel asked amusedly.

Hermione turned to see what her dad was looking at, and Hermione noticed the shimmering outline of Acara leaning up at where Crooks sat on top of the telly. "Dad! I totally forgot! It's Acara!" Hermione flicked her wrist and the beast was revealed as the spell faded away.

From the doorway came a loud shaking of cups on a tea tray. "Jesus Christ, Hermione!"

Hermione smiled and wiped a few more tears from her eyes. "Sorry, Mum."

"It looks like Crooks is about to be lunch!" Elise noted as she sat on the other side of Hermione, giving her a quick sideways hug.

"I know! When her mouth is open like that, I find Acara to be positively horrifying, the way her lips are black on the inside. Very eerie." Hermione picked up a cool cloth and wiped her face. "Mum, Dad, I'm really sorry I don't have more time to do this, but there's no other way. Can you get me your collection of dentistry journals?"

Nathaniel's face darkened. He rose to the bookshelf to retrieve the collection of journals. "What did this Malfoy do now?" he asked, the surname falling from his lips like the worst profanity he could think of.

Hermione let out a relieved sigh. She'd been sending her parents letters over the years disguised as professional journals. Embedded in the articles were letters from her, written in code, which could only be understood by her parents' subconsciouses. It had taken a fair amount of magic to modify the Obliviates she'd cast to be only at the conscious level; it had been double the challenge to create and encode the letters as she had. However, it was all worth it, since her parents seemed to be fully apprised of the situation.

Watching her father set a large stack of magazines on the coffee table, Hermione pulled one more out of her pocket.

"I, erm, couldn't send this one..." Hermione muttered, ashamed that she'd not sent it, even though it was mostly happy news. It talked about the colony, Draco's matriculation, and seeing all of her friends again back in Britain. The catch was, it talked about the wedding; she just hadn't been able to send it. She'd tried a couple of times, but when it came time to cast the spell, the words had gotten lodged in her throat.

Hermione set down the last issue of the magazine on the stack. Taking a deep breath, she twisted her wrist and ended the spell. As the stack shifted from glossy photos of various dental diseases to parchments and pages of papyrus, Hermione's shoulders fell.

"I'm getting married in just over twenty-four hours. I can't put it off any more. It's too real. I don't know what it will be like to bring you to the Manor, but I couldn't imagine getting married without you. I just... couldn't."

Hermione's father pulled her against him as her mother picked up the pages from the 'latest edition.' There were detailed drawings of the dresses and the layout of the wedding plans. There were moving photographs of Malfoy Manor. Luna had put it all together while she was waiting on the seamstresses the previous day.

"You planned all this in a week?" Elise asked.

"No. Draco's mother has had it planned... Probably since the moment she had a baby, from the way she goes on about it. I can only imagine what it would have been like for her daughter!" Hermione shivered, the idea of the domineering matriarch having her clutches in some poor girl's only wedding.

Hermione was pulled out of her thoughts as her father lifted her hair up so he could see her neck.

"It's sort of punk rock..." Nathaniel said tracing it with a finger.

Hermione shook her head, smiling. Nathaniel Granger had a nearly complete set of every punk album made before what he called 'The Turn.' He had spoken with Hermione at great lengths about how Synth Pop had ruined music for eternity. "Yeah, Dad, my neck tattoo is totally punk rock. You should see what I've got pierced."

"Elise, Hermes is making fun of me!" He pushed Hermione's shoulder gently.

"Now, children!" Elise fell happily into the old rhythms of her family's life.

"She got a neck tattoo; can I have one?"

"No. I will not have some love-struck witch steal my husband from me! Besides... think of the practice," Elise chastised primly.

"Think of the practice," Nathaniel mimicked back like a snotty teenager.

"Oh! The practice! Do you think you'll be able to reschedule your appointments?" Hermione looked worriedly between her parents.

"Dear, it's Friday, and we are only open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays here. We are doing twice what we did in Britain! I'd feel guilty if the work wasn't so..." Elise made a face that clearly conveyed that general oral hygiene of their patients was absolutely gross.

"Okay. Well... care to spend the weekend in Britain?" Hermione smiled at them wearily. It would still be early morning in England, and Hermione certainly hadn't gotten enough sleep.

"Of course. If you'll see to Crooks, I'll pack some bags." Elise turned to Nathaniel and nodded.

In short order, Crooks was hissing from inside his carrier, Nathaniel was locking up the house, and Elise was flitting about, trying to think of any last-minute things. Hermione sat on the couch, closing her eyes for a moment and taking a reprieve. She breathed in deeply; it smelled like home. It sounded like home. Hermione's body settled into the couch, feeling at peace.

"Ready, Hermes?" Nathaniel asked as he helped his wife with her jacket. They had both changed into clothes that were suitable for England in October.

"I s'pose." Hermione rubbed her eyes sleepily. She stood up and looked at her parents as they stood together, her father holding Crooks' carrier. "If you'll recall, it's going to feel like you're getting sucked through a straw. Don't panic."

Hermione was having an intense feeling of déjà vu. This was creepily similar as to when she'd sent them away. Trying to keep her mind clear, Hermione breathed deeply. "Go home," she commanded. The Grangers' wedding rings lit up brightly, and they disappeared moments later.

"Come, Acara, let's go." Hermione heaved a great sigh and picked up the cat before Apparating once again to her parents' house.