Some of the Waiting Ends

Disclaimer: The characters here and the world they inhabit are the creation and property of JK Rowling and her assigns.

It was the last day of the Easter Holiday, and Hermione was going over her notes for classes. She would be taking the students on an exhaustive review over the next few weeks before finals, and the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. students would receive special attention. The fifth years wouldn’t know what hit them in this coming week, but hopefully the seventh years would remember.

She was aware of a student standing in front of her desk, but she was in the middle of writing a note to herself. She held up her left hand in a signal to wait as she finished. When she looked up, she saw Teddy Lupin. For some reason, it was odd to see him, but she smiled and greeted him anyway.

“I’m pretty sure you’ll do brilliantly on the second year’s final, but I’d be happy to help you with whatever you like.”

“Oh, I’m not here for that,” he said seriously. “I was told to give you this.”

He handed her a scroll that was thick parchment sealed with a perfumed wax. “Thank you,” she said to empty air. She caught a glimpse of his trainers as he turned from her door into the hall. Only then did she realize why it was strange to see him. She happened to know for a fact that he had gone home over this holiday. He’d taken a letter for her to Severus. Honestly, there was something the matter with her family and friends.

Or she was just overly suspicious. She’d been thrown off balance this whole year due to Luna’s presence in her house. Oddly enough, however, the cobwebby feeling in her head had receded. The whole reason she had asked for Luna’s help was a fear that nargles were real and had infested her life. Since her house had been tented, Hermione’s memory had improved. Her overall energy had increased, too.

She remembered that there was a scroll in her hand. The mark on the wax looked like a versal K, but perhaps she was looking at it from the wrong angle. Viktor had certainly never used anything so... formal... before. She carefully slipped the seal, trying to keep it intact, but it broke as she opened the letter, emitting a floral scent within the room.

Dear Miss Granger,

Viktor

What was this? All he had to do was pop his head into her office, as they both did several times a week. He didn’t need to use formal stationery, and what was Teddy doing at Hogwarts a day before the return of the Hogwarts Express?

The note beckoned to her. Viktor was waiting. She stood up and saw that she was wearing a robe for working around the classroom. This wouldn’t do. If he was going to summon her so formally, she was going to dress for an occasion.

She went into her closet and found a dress that she knew she looked good in. It wasn’t very fancy, but it would be equal to almost any occasion. As had too often been habit this school year, she groaned at the door to the hallway and ran back to her bathroom, where she put on lipstick and the tiniest amount of perfume.

* * * * *

He was standing on the dock, facing the doors of the school. She waved and he waved back. Glancing around, Hermione saw Harry down the drive. Standing near Harry, but not facing him, were Severus and Teddy. That answered that question. She really was too suspicious about everything.

But her attention was for Viktor. As she got closer to him, she saw he was wearing good robes. She was glad to have changed her own dress. Looking around one last time she realized. This is it. What had precipitated it? Why would he pick this spot?

The part of her that had learned to embrace being off balance this past year told her to relax. Viktor is brilliant, and clever, and oh, so handsome. He’s got it figured out. Let him handle it.

It finally occurred to her. He’d handled screaming fans who were students. He’d handled Severus. He’d handled Molly and George and Ginny. He’d handled everything. She thought wryly that he’d even handled her upon occasion. He’d done brilliantly. She just needed to follow the plan he’d no doubt put in place.

“Hermyown.” His face had the same sort of smile she knew was on her own face. “If yu stand... here,” he said, guiding her to the spot, “yu will be yust where yu vere at time I first see yu.”

“You saw me here?”

“Do yu remember?”

“How could you have seen me?” The whole school had been standing on the dock.

“Yu are standing next to redhead who vorks so hard to get my attention. Yu seem not to care. It makes me curious.”

“Is that why you started paying attention to me?”

“Yu surprise me. I haff come to expect somet’ing different from girls in England. I find out all I can. I am enchanted by vitch so smart she sees vizard, not superstar.”

“You’re more than a superstar to me, Viktor. You’re brilliant, and brave, and you fit my world so well--”

“I haff fallen in loff vith yu Hermyown. Yu are only vitch for me.”

To her surprise, he knelt before her and cleared his throat. Then he spoke slowly, with practiced pronunciation. “Her-my-own-nee, I love you very much. Will you marry me?”

This wasn’t anything like what happened before. For all its sweetness, her romance with Ron was nothing like this. This was no drifting into something that seemed inevitable. It wasn’t--what was she thinking? It was time to take the step she’d been thinking about and longing for all winter and spring.

“Yes, Viktor. I love you very much. I’ll marry you.” Putting her hands on either side of his face, she leaned down and kissed him. Saying something she didn’t understand, he put his arms around her waist and stood up, lifting her in the process.

There was some sort of uproar on the driveway, but Hermione wasn’t sure what it was. She only knew that Viktor was kissing her, and she wanted it to go on and on.

* * * * *

“She says yes,” said a jubilant Viktor when they joined Severus and Teddy.

“I gathered,” answered Snape.

“You were kissing,” said Teddy.

“Yes, people do that when they like each other,” answered Hermione.

“It’s bad enough when the fifth and sixth years do it. It’s weird when grownups do it,” said the boy with a shrug.

Hermione looked from the boy to her father and back until she was seized by a huge hug. “It’s brilliant, absolutely brilliant,” said Harry.

After he let her go, Hermione looked at them all. “Why are you all here?”

“After third proposal comes meeting vith family. Ve go to Hogsmeade for dinner.”

“You said you weren’t going to ask.” Hermione looked among them as they started walking.

“I am not, but now are many plans to make.”

What did that mean? Hermione thought it over as they made the short walk and placed their orders. “I can’t believe that after refusing to ask for my hand you’re going to negotiate a bride price.”

Snape snorted. “As if there could be livestock exchanged for you? No, your love-struck swain is trying to rush the wedding. We’re discussing your schedule.”

Hermione took a deep breath. “Well, we should wait at least until finals are over, and what about my house? Luna has stopped responding to my Owls.”

Harry cleared his throat. “I’ve been over there, and she’s been putting everything back together. It will be ready when you need it.”

Viktor put his arm around Hermione’s shoulders. “I say ve vait no later than veek after exams.”

She looked at Severus and Harry. “Can we do that?”

Teddy piped up. “Gran says she can help you with your dress and things.”

“Did she really say that?” Hermione looked at her father. “Where is Andromeda?”

“She’s been quite tired with this pregnancy, and Beatrice is at a difficult stage. Molly is staying with her today and helping with the little ones. Yet she’s determined to fulfill the role of mother of the bride, if that is your wish.”

Hermione felt very loved as she looked around the table and back at Severus. “If that is what she would like to do, I would like it very much.”

A/N: Thank you to beta reader Blue Artemis!