Chapter 8 – The Biggest of Big Days

Draco woke to sunlight streaming in through his windows and stifled a groan.  This afternoon he would be marrying a witch he knew only through several months’ of letters and a single meeting and they would be bound together for the rest of their natural lives.  After cursing his fiancée for graduating in the morning rather than the afternoon, he went on to curse the Ministry even more heatedly for forcing him to get married in the first place.  He wasn’t ready to settle down and raise a couple of brats and he was still infuriated at the Ministry for the wording “women of child-bearing age”.  That meant some of the students at Hogwarts were expected to get married and pop out a couple of kids before they even had a chance to graduate!  He had thought they would be exempt, but he had been more than shocked to see the very young, very scared faces in the Ministry book of eligible wives.

Continuing his grumbling, Draco finally got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.  He fought the urge to return to dreamland as the hot water pounded on his back.  Finally stepping out from the warm stream, he quickly toweled dry, shivering in the morning’s chill.  Walking over to his closet, he began to ponder what he should wear.  He was going to the graduation at L’Academie des Sorcieres, he was seeing his fiancée, presumably meeting his future in-laws, and then he was getting married.  One would normally think that that would necessitate his finest dress robes, but he was so set against all of the happenings that he had half a mind to attend all the functions in his towel.  Unfortunately, he knew his mother would balk at that idea, so with a heavy sigh and a heavier heart, he pulled out a sleek black dress robe made of feather-light silk.

After getting dressed, Draco began to wonder just how bad it would be to live as a Muggle for the rest of his life so he wouldn’t have to go through with all of this.  Unfortunately, he would never be able to see his parents again and his mother had made sure that that blasted marriage license was in perfect order so neither party could wriggle out of their obligations.  Giving up the last of his hope, he heaved a heavy sigh and twisted on the spot, Apparating to Le Palais de l’Academie des Sorcieres.

-----

Ginny woke on the day of her graduation and marriage to her wand growing gradually brighter and emitting a beeping sound at an ever increasing volume.  In her fifth year, she had been required to take a course on spell creation and had created the charm herself and kept it a carefully guarded secret.  Looking out her window, she could see that the sky was tinged with pink as the day began.  Ginny arched her back and stretched like a cat before stepping into a shockingly violet bathrobe and heading to the bathroom for her morning’s ablutions.  She smiled upon entering the empty bathroom.  Really, for being at school with the brightest witches her age, they still hadn’t managed to figure out that if they got up early enough they could have the communal bathroom all to themselves.  She chuckled softly to herself and shook her head a bit at that thought: her classmates were really far too obsessed with sleep for their own good.

As she stepped into the room, toothpaste appeared on her small toothbrush, which then leapt into her mouth and began to brush her teeth as she ran a brush through her thick hair.  After the toothbrush had finally popped itself back into its holder, Ginny stepped into the largest of the shower stalls, still delighting in the fact that she had a quiet bathroom to herself with a warm stream of water.  Sighing, she simply stood in the stream, desperately needing this quiet, peaceful solitude to wash away some of the tension that had been building for the past several months.  There really wasn’t anything for her to do, anymore; her fate was going to come regardless of what she did, and now, it was best if she simply accepted the matter and dealt with it the best she could.  Rinsing her hair a final time, she stepped out of the shower, whereupon her bathrobe floated over and wrapped itself around her.  Picking up her wand, she siphoned the remaining water off herself and shot a blast of hot air at her head to dry her hair.

Returning to her room, she sadly pulled out her final project: her wedding robe.  Upon hearing of her upcoming nuptials, her professor, Madame Chanel, had insisted that her final project be her wedding robes.  It really was a beautiful piece of work, one of the best she had ever done.  Rather than choose a stark white that would not complement her complexion, she opted for rough silk in a rather warm, earthy shade of brown.   It had a square neckline and a straight skirt that fell to one inch above the floor so she wouldn’t trip over it.  She made her first daring move away from traditional Wizarding fashions: the robe was sleeveless.

Her favorite part about the dress wasn’t how it looked, but rather a unique charm she had invented for her clothing designs.  While the dress was form fitting and contained no elastic, she was easily able to stretch the fabric, almost as if it were made of putty, as she pulled the dress over her head, but it snapped back to its original dimensions once she ceased adjusting it.  Sitting down at her desk, she propped a large spellbook in front of her, flicked her wand, and the book instantly became a large mirror, effectively transforming her desk into a vanity.  Pointing her wand to a cabinet on the other side of the room, all sorts of cosmetics and hair accessories flew towards her.  She stared critically at the mirror sitting on her desk as hair brushes pulled her hair every which way and makeup brushes darted across her face.

Finally, all the brushes began to slow their movements and after their movements ceased all together, they flew back into the cabinet.  Ginny examined her reflection in the mirror.  All but two strands of hair had been curled and pulled back in a large, delicate looking golden clip, leaving the two straight strands at the side of her face.  The makeup had been applied very subtly and in colors that would clash with neither her wedding robe nor the loose, deep purple graduation robes she would wear over her brown wedding robe.  Sighing resignedly, she made a grand sweeping gesture with her wand, which caused her trunk to open and all of her items in the room to fly into it.  After checking that everything was in the trunk neatly, she bewitched it to become feather-light and shrunk it before hanging it off her hairclip, securing it with a sticking spell.  As a final touch, she reached for the final item on her desk, her engagement ring, which she had delightedly discovered would vanish from view for a few moments when the loose emerald was jostled within the setting.  With one final mournful smile at the room that had been her home for the past eleven years, she walked out into the hallway, never once looking back.

-----

The six graduates, Ginny, Lena, Isa, Sophia, Olga, and Marie, were lined up in front of Madame Nobel, the ancient Headmistress.  “Now girls,” she said cheerfully, “this is your final day at L’Academie des Sorcieres.  I hope to hear great things about each and every one of you, and, who knows!  Maybe some of you will come back to teach in these hallowed halls or proudly bring your own daughters here.  I wish you all the very best of luck!”

Suddenly, a procession of deep purple robes came floating into the room.  “Now,” she began again, somewhat more sternly this time.  “You should all know by now that the school color is purple.”  Normally this sort of statement was accompanied by a few titters, sighs, or even an ‘Oh, not again,’ as it was repeated quite frequently, but this morning all the young ladies were silent.  “Purple was such a valuable color in days of old because the dye could only be obtained from snails in Tyre.  These robes have not been dyed with inferior inks or charmed this shade of purple: they have been dyed, by hand, in the very dye from those precious snails.  The only way in which these robes have been charmed is that they will always fit you and they will still be in pristine condition millennia from now.  Furthermore, only a graduate of L’Academie des Sorcieres may touch these robes: they will have no substance to anyone else.”

Ginny was stunned at the work that went into making these robes.  She had had a great deal of practice and training in permanent color changing charms and had never once attempted to dye fabric.  She also had little use for ever-wearing charms, because those would almost certainly ruin her business as a robemaker.  Ginny, of course, knew of them and did cast them rarely on certain items, such as her wedding robes or other items of clothing that were of such great value they would be family heirlooms for generations to come.  She was not aware of any charms that could prevent all but a few individuals from being able to grasp the robes as a solid material, but she supposed that Isabella, who had studied jewel crafting with the goblins, most likely knew spells such as those.

Ginny was startled out of her thoughts as she realized the other girls around her were busy adjusting their new robes and casting color changing charms at their shoes.  Sophia had wisely transfigured one of the tapestries into a very large mirror so they could all examine their appearances before they went up in front of all their relatives and other world dignitaries.  Although Ginny normally loved her vivid red hair, it clashed horribly with the deep purple of her robes.  She quickly cast a charm and her hair became a light blonde.  I wish my hair didn’t have to clash with everything, she grumbled to herself.  As the girls had just about finished primping themselves, a deep gong rang out, signaling them to walk out to the courtyard where the graduation ceremonies would take place.

-----

Draco fidgeted in his chair waiting for the graduation to start and be over with.  To hell with that, he just wished he could wake up screaming any minute now. He’d give anything to not be at his fiancée’s graduation then off to his own wedding in a few short hours!  His mother had taken up her duties in arranging a honeymoon for them, booking a 'lovely' four week honeymoon.  Her brilliant (Draco huffed at this in his head) plan was that the two of them would go off to the Ministry to be wed immediately after the graduation, pop back to the Manor to introduce Ginevra to Lucius and hand them a Portkey that would whisk the newlyweds off to their honeymoon before Lucius could harm Ginevra.  She would then spend the following four weeks softening Lucius to the idea of the marriage, since it was, after all, unbreakable, and his son would be banished from the wizarding world if he interfered with things.  If he was still resisting the marriage after the honeymoon ended, she had sent several house elves to prepare a villa in southern France for her son and her new daughter-in-law.  Draco thought that this was a bit excessive, but his mother knew his father’s moods intimately - and how to handle his outbursts.

Finally, Draco heard a deep gong ring out signaling the beginning of the graduation ceremonies.  He watched with mild disinterest as six girls walked through the very purple garden.  He frowned as the last girl filed out: he was expecting it to be a simple task to pick out which of the girls was his fiancée since she had very distinctive red hair, but not one of the girls had red hair.  He gave this some minor thought before phasing out the rest of the ceremonies while still applauding politely at all appropriate junctures.  He finally snapped out of his reverie as he heard, “Ginevra Weasley” called up to receive her diploma. 

The girl’s hair was not a vivid red, but rather a pale blonde.  He frowned, wondering if she had decided to try and fit in with his family rather than her own, but he knew that wasn’t right.  She was quite independent and he was lucky she was taking the Malfoy name (and only because his mother had explicitly stated it in the marriage contract).  An almighty cheer came from the crowd as the six witches stood in a line with their wands aloft, shooting out purple and silver sparks. 

-----

“Mum!  Dad!  I did it!” the short blonde girl shrieked, running out towards a middle-aged, red haired couple moments after the ceremony ended.

“Congratulations, m’dear!” the woman cried, embracing the young woman in what must have been a bone crushing embrace.  Stepping back, she held her youngest daughter at arm’s length.  “And just what have you done with your hair, young lady?”

The girl blushed.  “I’m sorry, Mum, it just really didn’t go well with these robes.”  She flicked her wand at her hair, which turned to the vivid red Draco was so familiar with.  She turned to embrace her father, at which point Draco decided to introduce himself.

“Congratulations, mademoiselle,” he murmured, bowing shortly before her.  Looking up, he saw that her previously happy face became filled with a sad resignation.

“Ah, yes… Mum, Dad, meet my fiancé, Draco,” Ginny said politely.

“How do you do?” he asked them, equally politely.  The Weasley patriarch glowered at him.

“I’d be better if my daughter wasn’t being married this afternoon,” he nearly growled.

“I am terribly sorry about that, but you would likely be saying that to another young man now if not me.  Your daughter is quite a beautiful and gifted witch, a stunning combination if I do say so myself.”

“You’re perfectly right and Arthur knows that, he’s just not ready to give up his baby girl just yet,” the plump woman said to him kindly, placing a hand on his arm.  “Just take good care of her for us, heaven knows her Bat Bogey hex is legendary, but you’ll have to deal with me if I hear you aren’t treating her properly.”

“And myself and five older brothers, six if you count Harry,” Mr. Weasley added darkly.

Ginny’s face fell further at the mention of her brothers and Draco made a mental note to ask why that was and where they were later that afternoon.  “I intend to treat her and our children with nothing more than the utmost respect.  Regardless, why don’t we get lunch before heading off to the Ministry?” he said to Ginny, turning to the elder Weasleys.  “You are more than welcome to join us.”

“Thank you, but we really must be heading home,” Mrs. Weasley said, laying a hand on her husband’s arm, noticing that his face had been growing steadily redder as the conversation had continued.  “I’m sorry that we’ll be missing your wedding.”

“You mean signing the final contracts,” Draco said darkly as Ginny shot him a warning glance.

“Really, Mum, it’s not a wedding per say, so there’s no need for you to be there,” Ginny sighed.

“Well then, I suppose we shall see you in a month then,” Mrs. Weasley said, her voice quavering.  She quickly engulfed her only daughter in a tight hug before grabbing her husband’s arm, Apparating them away.

“Where are we Apparating to?” Ginny asked.

“I’ll take you, that’s not a problem.”  Draco assured her.  In one of her recent letters she had confessed that she was quite out of practice with Apparation and much preferred Flooing, even if it was a dirtier method of transport.

“Thank you,” Ginny whispered.

Draco proffered an arm to Ginny, who moved towards him calmly but proceeded to hold his arm in a death grip.   “I promise you won’t lose your eyebrows this time,” he whispered to her, recalling her last attempt at Apparating.  He was rewarded with a hearty thwack on his arm, so he turned on the spot, leaving France behind them.

-----

As soon as they arrived at the Ministry after a lunch that was less awkward than either had anticipated, Ginny removed her graduation robes and charmed her shoes brown once more.  Draco was forced to admit that she did indeed look stunning as they walked to the appropriate office.  Given the recent turn of events, the Ministry had given the option to simply have papers signed stating the couple was indeed married.  There was a Ministry official to perform fidelity charms on every married couple in addition to the fertility charms on the pureblood couples and the strong conception charms on the Muggleborn couples.

Ginny, having already read and studied the law did not bother reading the papers and simply signed her name to the bottom.  Draco, who had not studied the law but simply wanted to get out of there, and preferably wake up from his nightmare, also simply signed his name at the bottom.  Needless to say, he was quite shocked when the official cast the two charms over the couple.

“What the bloody hell was that for!?” he demanded loudly.  Ginny sighed and pulled at his arm. 

“Those were the fidelity and fertility charms,” she said, quirking an eyebrow at him.

“Why would we need a fertility charm?” he asked aghast.  He was horrified that the Ministry thought that he would have difficulties fathering children on his own, no matter how much he didn’t want them right now.

“Why, to help you have the necessary five children within the next ten years!” the official boomed.  “All those little bundles of joy… you are a pureblood couple after all.”

Draco groaned as he took a closer look at the papers he had just finished signing.

“And the fidelity charm?” he asked sourly.

“Well, they wouldn’t want us to taint the bloodlines with anything other than pure blood, now would they?” Ginny answered quietly.

“I suppose,” he sighed resignedly before turning back to the official.  “Where are the photos being taken?”

“Down the hall, second door on the left,” he instructed before loudly calling out, “Next!”

Draco pulled a small box out of his pocket and Ginny pulled on a pair of cream elbow length gloves as they walked down the hall.  Right before they reached the door, he threw out his arm to stop Ginny.

“Wait,” he said, opening the box.  Inside were two simple platinum bands.  “Can’t have a picture without rings, now can we?”

“I suppose that would upset our mothers,” Ginny giggled, pulling both her wedding band and engagement ring over the glove, praising perfect fit charms as both rings widened slightly to accommodate the extra fabric around her finger.

After spending an hour with the photographer that Narcissa Malfoy had specifically hired, rather than the standard photographers made available by the Ministry, they finally exited the Ministry.

“I suppose we’ve got to go see your parents now?” Ginny asked glumly, squinting into the bright sunlight.

“They’ll want to see us before we head off, yes,” Draco replied, handing her a pair of sunglass he had conjured.  “Mother’s holding the Portkey for us so we have to go see her anyways.”

“Alright then,” Ginny sighed.  “No more Apparating after this.”