A Fated Marriage

Hey everyone it’s onetinykiss. Here is the first chapter for 09. Kind of neat if ya think about it. Anyway while I was editing the past chapters I noticed I made…not an error, but something that will have to be explained in a future chapter. So I read all the reviews I’ve been given and noticed that nobody else noticed this little…glitch? So I want to see if anyone else can find it. Here’s a hint: It has to do with the Selected. If you think you know that the glitch its e-mail me your answer at shysweet5@gmail.com. Please title your e-mail “A Fated Marriage Answer” or else I won’t read it. There is a prize for the first one who can answer it. So I guess that’s all for now. Now its time for dinner.


Dinner


“Now, they will be here in a few minutes, so I’m laying down the ground rules now. First of all you will not upset her in any way. That means you will no interrogate her or tease her in any way. The poor girl has enough on her plate without all your little comments. Second, you will not insult or pull any jokes her future husband. He is a polite nice young man and I will no have him thinking we are a bunch of barbarians when he first meets everyone. He’ll learn it soon enough. And third we WILL be as supportive as we can. Hermione needs us now more than ever.” Molly Weasley finished fixing all the Weasley siblings and Harry with a pointed glare. With wide eyes they all nodded in understanding unwilling to do anything else.

“Good, now all of you go change into something more presentable and be quick about. Arthur, go set the table.” At first there was no movement. “Now!” Then there was a flurry of hustling and bustling. Molly went to the kitchen to put the last touches on dinner. While she was working she heard someone say, “Stupid Floo.” Mrs. Weasley went over to Hermione with a smile. “Hello dear.” She looked around a little confused. “Umm…where is Viktor?”

“Shhh!” Hermione rushed over and put a hand over her mother’s mouth. “Listen…I’m going to talk to the boys before they find out that Viktor is going to be my husband. He’s waiting at the house for me to tell him it’s okay to come over. I’m kind of worried about Harry and Ron’s reactions.” She looked around to make sure nobody was there.

Molly gently removed Hermione’s hand that hid her soft smile. “You don’t have to worry about the boys or Ginny. I’ve already talked to all of them.” She said picking up a serving dish and filling it with mixed steamed vegetables. Hermione picked up the pot roast plate and followed her to the table.

“I knew I could count on you to talk to the family, but I really feel like I should talk to Harry and Ron myself.” She said as she placed the plate on the table. While looking at the table a realization hit her like a wall of bricks. In a matter of a few years she would be serving her own family dinner. Hermione sighed; she was going to have to learn to cook. After all she could not make the elves do all the cooking.

Molly was about to say something when Ron, Harry, and the twins came stampeding down the stairs. Before either lady could say anything the youngest Weasley boy and the Boy Wonder grabbed Hermione on either side to drag her to the empty living room slamming the door behind them.

“Alright Mione start talking. Who is he? What do you think of him? Do you think that we ought to ‘talk’ to him about how he treats you?” Ron asked in one breath in a rush. Hermione looked at him in shock for a few moments and shook her head. He was still the same old Ron.

“First I’m not telling you who it is because you’ll meet him in just a few minutes. Second I think he is a prefect gentleman. He cares for our future and me. He wants us to both be happy, and from what he told me he’ll do whatever it takes to make that possible. Third the last time “you talked” to a guy I got too close to he broke up with me the next day saying it was better for his health. So do I want you to “talk” to him?” She asked sarcastically. “NO! You both will be nice and polite to him. You have no say in the matter. Understood?” She told the boys in a perfect imitation of Molly. Hermione looked over at the closed door and scowled. “And that mean you guys as well. He’s nervous enough he doesn’t need all of you treating him like he’s the bad guy.” She yelled.

Slowly the door opened and every single Weasley child walked in with an Extendable Ear in hand. “I like this guy. He’s sweet and smart and polite. And it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks because we are going to get married. It’s the law. He’s going to be family and I want him to like you guys. Not think you’re a bunch of barbarian when he first meets you.” She sighed again. “He’ll find that out soon enough anyway.”

“You’ve got to stop doing that Mione.” Fred said with a small shudder.

“You’re starting to sound just like Mum.” George added.

Hermione smiled a little, “Good. Maybe now you will listen to me.” She said with a little laugh. Every boy in the room groaned a little and Ginny laughed. “Now remember what I said about being nice.”
It was than when Molly chose to enter the room. “What is going on here? There’s a nice young man waiting out there to meet his bride’s family and you’re all holed up here? Someone should go save him from your father. He’s talking about the uses of Muggle computers.” She told her plethora of children. Faster than you could blink there was a rush of people headed to the dinning room.

“I thought he was going to wait until I told him it was safe.” Hermione muttered to herself as she followed the family. Viktor was standing in the middle of a circle when she came into the room. Everyone, with the exception of Molly and Arthur, looked at him in a mixture of shock, awe, anger, and amusement. There was silence as the staring continued.

Arthur was the one to break the tension and awkwardness that Hermione and Viktor was starting to feel. “Well it seems that everyone is here. Now we can eat dinner right?” He said motioning to everyone sit at the table. For Hermione it was like somebody put a spell on the room to make everything go in slow motion. She and Viktor at the table and everyone followed. At first dinner went normally. The twins bragged how they had just created a new hair potion that could change your hair six different colors in an hour. Charlie and Harry were taking about the upcoming season. Ginny was talking to Hermione about a new hair charm that was supposed to tame any kind of hair. Molly was fussing over Bill and Viktor making sure that neither of their plates was empty. Arthur was tinkering with a Muggle pocket watch and Ron was shoving food into his month while glaring at his future brother in-law.

The meal went on like that from beginning to end. It was during dessert that the Weasley dinner started to get interesting. “So you and Hermione are going to get married?” Charlie said opening up the subject everyone was dying to talk about.

Viktor swallowed his piece of pie and nodded. “Yes. I vas chosen to be her husband.” He said quietly. “I understand that most of you are against this marriage. There are some very tight rules that will prevent her from joining you at Hogvarts, but I don’t vant that to prevent her from fulfilling her dreams. I’ve told her this already. If it is my power I vill give her vhatever she desires.”

“That’s all well and good to say, but relationships aren’t just material things. You need respect, trust, compassion, understanding, and so much more.” It was Bill’s turn to speak up. The family knew he was talking more about his brief fling at Fleur. The young Frenchwoman had expected him to treat her like a princess. Complete with numerous shopping trips, expensive meals, and other luxuries he could not afford. The two did not last very long.

Viktor nodded in understanding, “I agree whole heartedly, and I believe that ve are on our vay to having a good and stable relationship. Ve are not…in love yet, however whoever expected that is crazy for thinking that…”

“Ha! So you don’t love her!” Ron interrupted slamming down his fork on his plate.

“Of course I don’t.” Viktor said glaring at Ron. “I have really only known her for a short vhile. I do like her very much and consider myself lucky to be paired with such a witch. However love takes time. It would be unreasonable to think that after almost two years apart that ve vould automatically fall in love with simply because ve are being forced to marry.”

Hermione was unsure if she should be hurt by his words or relieved by his honesty. She wanted to say something, but kept silent. She knew that it was not in her place to pipe in. Yet. Right now this was a conversation for the men to size each other up.

“But what if you fall in love with someone else? What will you do than? Cheat on her? Hermione deserves better than that.” Ron was not about to give up so easily.

“I agree she deserves better. Vhich is vhy if, and I say if, I fall in love vith someone else Hermione will be one of the first to know. Vhat will happen after that who knows? Ve vill cross that bridge should it come to pass.” He tried to explain.
“How do we know you will help her in her schooling? It won’t be easy once you have children.” Harry was next in line for the questioning. “She is the most talented witch of our age. That talent shouldn’t go to waste.”

The world famous Seeker could not remember the last time he felt so much pressure. Compared to this the World Cup had been a breeze. “I do not know the answer to that question yet. There are a lot of people we need to talk to. A lot of loopholes that need to be found. A lot of plans that need to be set.” He said before draining an entire cup of water. The glass felt cool in his now sweaty palms and the cold water calmed his buzzing nerves.

Hermione saw an opening for her speak up. “Listen I know…I know this wasn’t what we all had planned.” She said drawing everyone’s attention. She looked at Harry and Ron, “We were supposed to start our sixth year together. It was going to be the best year every. No Dark Lords. No wars. Just studying and having a little fun.” She swallowed. “But that’s just now going to happen. Fate has something in mind for me.”

“But that’s not fair.” Ron argued looking both pained and frustrated.

“When has life ever been fair for me Ron?!” She shouted. The few words were filled with bitterness, anger, hurt, and truth. “At school I was bullied for being smart or Muggleborn. I was hated simply because my parents weren’t magical. And than they were killed. I have nothing left of them. But I still had to help with the war effort. I wasn’t given a chance to morn them. I was fighting Death Eaters.” Angry tears were flowing down her face. “That is true unfairness.”

She took a swipe at her eyes and continued, “This is nothing. I get to keep my family and join a new one.”

“But Mione…”

“No buts. Viktor and I are trying to make the best of this. And you are not making this any easier by treating him like a prisoner of Azkaban. When life gives you lemons make lemonade.”

“What does lemons have to do with anything?!”

“Nothing. It’s a Muggle expression meaning…Nevermind what it means.” She did not feel like explaining the saying at the moment. “Why are you all being so hard on him anyway?”

“Why my dear Hermione you should know that by now.” Fred said leaning back in his chair with a smirk.

George copied his twin, “We are your brothers. Making sure your man will treat you right is our job.”

Bill raised his glass in a mock toast, “To the everlasting protectiveness of brothers.”

“We just want to make sure our little sister is safe and well cared for.” Charlie said softly.

Harry gave her a soft smile telling her with his eyes that he agreed. She sighed looked over to Viktor. He to had a look in his eye that told her he understood. Finally she dared to look at Ron. His face was red, his fist was balled tight, and his eyes were filled with an emotion she could not exactly pinpoint. Added at together she guessed that he was angry. Though why she wasn’t sure.

“Ron?” She asked hesitantly.

“He doesn’t deserve you. He’s no good enough.” He said before pushing back his chair and storming to his room.

“What was that about?” Arthur asked looking at where his son had sat.

“Beat me dad.” George replied.
“He’s just being stubborn. He’s being Ron.” Ginny shrugged it off. “So Hermione tell me what plans you have for the wedding.” And thus the rest of the night went. Everyone had relaxed some. The boys knew there would more chances to quiz Viktor. Molly was grateful that there had been not real fighting. Viktor felt accepted into the family. Making the dinner, in his eyes, a success. And Arthur had figured out how to work the pocket watch. Only Harry and Hermione were unsettled by Ron’s outburst. They both knew him well enough to know that something was bothering him. Still the rest of the night went by quickly and smoothly. There was a little concern about Hermione going home with Viktor, but all soon agreed it was for the best.

While Harry and Hermione gave each other a good-bye he whispered in her ear, “We can talk to him letter.” She smiled and nodded. A few more hugs and the couple headed home. Both were exhausted, but knew that there was much to be discussed before they could call it a day.


A/N: Done…wow. I doubt you guys can tell, but my chapters have getting longer. Cool. All impute is welcome. And I’ll see ya soon in the next chapter.