Upside Down

Guess what everybody? I finally got a JOB!!!! YEAH!!!! I will be working part-time at Fred's! Yay minimum wage!!

Amaya - thank you. I'm glad my change was good for you. I thought the strongly worded letter would be funny. I think Bellatrix's idea of a strongly worded letter might have to be whited out a bit, though...

distinctlyME - goody goody! I think on my next story, I'll wait a bit longer between postings so that I can re-read my stuff before posting, so that I won't have to change it as much. I hope you'll be a fan of my next story, look for it soon! And I really hope you're wedding turns out well. I helped a bit with my neice's wedding, and I vowed then that, in accordance to my simplistic nature, the courthouse and Fatz would be the places to be!

Apple - thank you, my dear, and I do hope you enjoy this newest installment.

Citten - you have caught this story as it's rounding the home stretch! I have this chapter, and then an epilogue planned, and then I'm done. I hope, though, that you'll go read some of my other stories! And maybe you'll read the new one I'll be posting soon!

FlowersBecomeScreens - I don't know about 'child-Rita' growing up. I might save that for the Epilogue ^_^ Like I said to distingtlyME, I think I'll be posting my newest story even slower than this one, so I can take your advice to heart. That way I won't have to scrap entire chapters that have already been posted! Yay proofreading!!

RyGirl824 - I'm glad you liked the changes. I must admit that the second one was a bit more fun to write!

Everyone - there will be this chapter, and one more as my Epilogue, and then this story is done! I hope you have enjoyed it!

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Seven Months Later

“Yes! Yes! Oh Draco, Yes!” Hermione cried, her fingers digging into the sheets as her husband pounded into her.

They had been married two months and he had barely let her out of the bedroom. Draco looked for any excuse to make love to Hermione. Not that she was complaining. It felt wonderful to finally be married to Draco. They had planned it for months, and it was by far the biggest to-do she had ever been part of. The guest list had almost reached a thousand before Hermione put her foot down. The service was beautiful, and the reception was legendary. But Hermione really wasn’t interested in all of that. The moment she said ‘I do’ the entire world could have disappeared for all she cared. She was, at that moment and forever more, Mrs. Draco Malfoy.

Narcissa had cried the entire time. Nobody was sure if it was due to the fact that her son was getting married, or the extreme case of hormones associated with an eight month pregnant woman.

Since then she had given birth to a beautiful baby girl. Lucius had been surprised and pleased at the same time, as it had been several generations since a girl had been born into the Malfoy bloodline. The little girl had been named Sapphira Malfoy.

“Fuck!” Hermione cursed as Draco threw her legs over his shoulder, shifting their position slightly. She could feel her orgasm approaching.

“So beautiful. My beautiful wife.” Draco panted, his fingers digging into the tops of her legs as he held on. It didn’t take them long to come together, both bellowing loudly. Draco stiffened as he came, his teeth bared as the delicious waves died down.

He let her go, and withdrew, only to collapse beside her.

“If we don’t get up now…we’re going to miss Ruby’s birthday party.” Hermione gasped.

“Kay…” Draco said softly. “She’ll have another one next year, you know…” he said sleepily. Hermione reached over and whacked his arm.

“She’s turning seventeen today, you arse!”

“Ack! Okay! Stop hitting me, you man-beater.” He said. They both laughed, before finally rolling out of the bed and padding naked to the bathroom. Draco started up the shower while Hermione brushed her teeth. Draco hadn’t even given her time to do that before he became amorous again. She had to admit, though….it was nice to have him look at her like that even now that he had her within the confines of marriage.

After a joint shower (in which Hermione practically had to beat Draco away to actually get clean), they dressed quickly, and headed down for a bite of breakfast. Ruby was already down with Lucius and Narcissa, and was playing with Sapphira.

Narcissa looked up when the two arrived, and clicked her tongue.

“It’s about time. We have to start greeting guests in an hour.” She said, taking a bite of her toast. She had already gotten back her figure, and Hermione hoped that if she ever had children, that she could look as good as Narcissa two months later.

The party was going to be on the Malfoy grounds. It had taken all week to set up the decorations, and it had been quite a feat to keep Ruby out of the back yard. She wanted to see, but the elves were on strict orders not to let her anywhere near it until the party time.

Ruby was practically bouncing in her seat with excitement. She’d never had a birthday party that was so….up-scale!

“I’m so excited! I just can’t hide it! I’m about to lose control and I think I like it!” she sang to Sapphira, who merely looked up at her and cooed. Lucius looked up over his paper at Ruby.

“Yes, well…just make sure you’re of sound mind to participate in the party. I don’t want to send the guests away because you’re sitting in a corner foaming at the mouth…”

~~

The party, while heavily decorated, was only for friends and family. The Weasleys were invited, as was Harry, Sirius, Dumbledore, Remus, the Tonks family, the Lestranges, Kingsley, the Malfoys of course, and much to everyone’s surprise, Snape and his family.

Snape had married Annabel shortly after the birth of his daughter, Kaylee Elizabeth, and seemed to be very happy with his lot in life. They stayed with him at Hogwarts, and Snape had actually moved out of the dungeons so his wife and child wouldn’t be stuck in such a forlorn place. His only business down there now was in his classroom, and an occasional check-up on the Slytherins to make sure they weren’t about to burn the school down. Due to his new location, and the fact that Annabel loved to be outside, he had even gotten some color in his pale face.

All the guests waited under the large canopy while Lucius went to retrieve Ruby. She was standing on the outside terrace, staring at the canopy with bright eyes. When Lucius held out his hand for her, she took it excitedly, squeezing as they walked back down.

“Oh Mr. Malfoy! It’s so beautiful!” she said, her voice breaking. He let go of her hand to rest his arm on her shoulder.

“It’s a small token for such a large part of our life. I still haven’t forgotten that it was you who nursed Narcissa back to health. You are family, Ruby, a part of the Malfoy family. And the Malfoys always do it big.” He said. The crowd cheered when Ruby came into view, and the twins set off several confetti rockets, which once detonated sent an explosion of confetti everywhere. Lucius looked a bit annoyed as he began to pick the bits of paper out of his hair, but Ruby laughed, and hugged them both.

“I want to thank everyone for coming!” she said, looking around at all the faces. “This is a big day for me, and I’m glad you could all share it with me.”

“Like we’d miss a chance to attend a party at the Malfoys!” Fred cried, holding up his punch glass, and his twin cheered.

The party began when lively music began to play, and those that wanted to were allowed to dance. Others, including an eight-month pregnant Bella, decided to sit and talk.

Ruby went over to Snape and Annabel, and promptly hugged Snape.

“Thanks for coming.” She said. She grinned at Kaylee, who was nestled in her mother’s arms. “And you, too!” she said, making a face. Kaylee laughed brightly, and waved her hands at Ruby.

“Although Mr. Weasley wasn’t very tactful in saying it, he was truthful to insinuate that Malfoy parties are quite nice.” Snape said, giving Ruby a small smile. He seemed to be doing that a lot more lately.

“Have fun! Enjoy the refreshments!” Ruby said, turning to go mingle with others. Snape smirked.

“I plan on it.” He said softly, and sipped his punch.

Ruby spotted Harry outside of the shaded canopy, looking down at a small pond. She walked up to him, and patted his arm. He looked down at her and smiled.

“Nice party, Ruby.” He said. She grinned.

“Thanks. So…I saw Ginny giving you the evil eye. What’s that about?” she asked softly. Harry’s smile faded.
“She’s upset that I don’t love her as a girlfriend. She’s like a sister to me…” he said, and looked back at the pond.

“That’s just because she doesn’t realize how lucky she is to have a brother like you…” Ruby said, and hugged Harry soundly. He smiled. That was just what he needed to brighten his spirits.

“Come back to the rest of the party, Harry. Let’s dance!” she said, and tugged him back under the shade of the canopy.

The rest of the party went well. There was much merriment and partying. It finally came down to present time, and Ruby and the others were led inside for this part.

Ruby sat in her chair, eyeing the small mountain of presents with tears in her eyes. She’d never gotten so many presents before!

The first present to open was from Dumbledore. She tore open the paper, and opened the box. She burst into peals of laughter when she pulled out a set of neon orange robes with purple stars, and a matching witch’s hat. It was ironic that is happened to be a female version of the outfit he had worn the first time he met her.

“I’ll wear it with pride!” she laughed.

Lucius snorted into his punch. “I hope not…”

The next was a set of Potions books from the Snape family. She stroked the spines lovingly.

“Wow…thanks…” she said, breathless. It figured any relative of Hermione’s would be speechless over books!

Next came Harry’s present. It was a brand-new Thunderstrike broom. She practically drooled.

“Wow….they haven’t even made these in America yet…” she said. Harry winked.

“They’ve only made a few here. You wouldn’t believe how many times I had to show my scar to get that.”

“Aww…if you won’t use your body to get presents for family, what will you use it for?” Ruby joked. Harry laughed. Ruby was glad Harry had come. He seemed so lonely as of late. Sometimes she worried about him, but then she reminded herself that he was a grown man. There were plenty of women out there that wanted him. Hmm...maybe that was it. They all wanted him because he was a celebrity, not because he was a good person. She sent up a silent prayer for him.

Remus bought her a new traveling cloak. He had been doing quite well since the Final Battle. He had even met a she-wolf that was interested in him, and they were petitioning the Ministry to allow Werewolf marriages so that they could settle down and have a family. Quite a few of the anti-Werewolf laws had been repealed due to Remus’ constant petitions. He was a hero to the lycanthropes.

The Lestranges bought her a book from the family library on teaching oneself wandless magic. Ruby was impressed.

“I’ll get on that right away!” she said with a smile.

Molly and Arthur presented her with one of the famous Weasley sweaters. It was black, with a curvy ‘R’ on the front. She hugged the sweater close.

“Oh thank you! I finally feel like part of the family!” she sniffled. Ron and Hermione shared a significant look.

The Malfoys presented her with a visit to a very expensive spa with an included make-over. She raised an eyebrow.

“Hmm….up-scale…” she said approvingly.

“Only the best.” Lucius said, inclining his head to her.

Several more presents, including several items from Fred and George’s shop, made her practically weep with thankfulness. When the ‘present table’ was finally empty she stood, wiping her eyes.

“You guys were so generous. Thank you.” She said softly. Ron cleared his throat, and approached her.

“Actually, you have one more present.” He said. Ruby smiled at him.

“Really?” she asked. He smoothed down the front of his robes, and nodded. He reached into his pocket, and withdrew a small black box. He then went down on one knee in front of her, and opened the box. Ruby’s eyes filled with fresh tears.

“Ruby Grangeford, will you marry me?” he asked. She began to cry in earnest, and shot forward to wrap her arms around his neck.

“Yes…” she sobbed. The entire room cheered loudly for them, and Molly burst into tears, hugging Arthur close.

Hermione pressed close to Draco, her own eyes wet.

“Yes…” Ruby whispered again, and then took his face in her hands and kissed him soundly.

~~

Ron stood in the holding room, trying to make his red hair stay flat. Normally he couldn’t really complain about his hair, but today it seemed as flyaway as Harry’s. Hermione stood in front of him with a comb and some hair potion, trying to help him.

“Ron, hold still!” she said, turning his head back to her when he looked in the mirror.

“Please hurry, Mione. I have to go to Lucius to get my cravat tied.” He said, fiddling with the cloth at his neck. Hermione smacked his hand away.

“If you’ll hold still!” she said. She pressed the errant hair down, and spritzed it liberally with the potion. “There!” she said, finally triumphant. She gave a sudden gasp, and put her hands on her rounded belly.

“You okay, Mione?” Ron asked. She smiled.

“I just felt the baby kick…” she whispered. She was four months pregnant, and this was the first time she had felt the baby move. It wasn’t a kick, per say, but a ‘butterfly’ feeling. It was wonderful.

Ron was then pushed towards the tall blonde, who was waiting for him impatiently.

“Finally. It seems that red mop had a life of its own today.” Lucius said, and began to tie Ron’s cravat.

Ron was in sharp black dress robes, brand new, and shiny new shoes. He wanted everything to be new for today. Everything had to be perfect, because today he would make Ruby his wife. He was getting married.

They had been planning this for months, and it was quite up there on the social to-do. While not quite as important as Draco and Hermione, Ron was still a war hero, and one of the Golden Trio, therefore his wedding was quite of interest.

Harry bustled into the room, his own black dress robes swirling behind him. Harry had been chosen as Ron’s best man, and he had taken to his job with gusto.

“Ten minutes, everyone. Come on, Ron. We’re about to go over the line-up one more time.” He said, beckoning to his friend. Ron, pale-faced, followed Harry out the door.

~~

Ruby stood with her face tilted up as Narcissa put the finishing touches on her makeup. Hermione, back from her trip to tame Ron’s hair, was behind Ruby, putting some tiny sprigs of baby’s breath into her bun. When the two women were finished with their respective jobs, they stepped away.

“Oh Ruby…” Hermione said, breathlessly. “You look beautiful…”

“Do you think Ron will think so?” she asked, smoothing down the snug bodice of her crème colored dress. She had chosen an off-white color because she was not going into this marriage untouched. But even though her physical virginity had been breached, she knew very little about sex, so she had come close to the traditional.

“If he doesn’t he’s a fool.” Narcissa said.

Hermione looked up at the clock, and clapped her hands.

“Okay, everybody! Places!”

~~

From the moment Ron spotted Ruby coming down the aisle, his breath was taken away. Harry actually had to nudge him to remind him to breathe lest he faint in the middle of his own wedding. Ron took an audible breath, and it hitched again. Every few moments after that Harry had to nudge him.

The service was a traditional magical service, and as a favor to Ruby and Ron, Kingsley himself did the ceremony.
Ruby had talked Bellatrix into letting Kyra be her little flower girl, but the woman had to follow her little toddler down the aisle, as she kept handing the flowers to people instead of throwing them. When Bellatrix finally picked her up at the end of the aisle, Kyra dumped the basket over her mother’s head.

“Fower!” she cheered. Bellatrix smiled, and quickly made her way back to her seat, where Rodolphus was waiting with their son, Aires. There were plenty of babies afoot. Kyra and Aires, Kaylee, and Sapphira to name a few. And soon they would be joined by the little one growing in Hermione’s tummy.

Hermione sat on the bench, pressed close to Draco, tears streaming down her face. It had been a long ride since the first day Ruby had shown up to her flat, penniless and parentless.

Her tears grew as Ruby said ‘I do,’ and Kingsley gave Ron the 'okay' to kiss his bride. And kiss her he did. He took her face in his hands and kissed her until Kingsley cleared his throat. He pulled away, flushed, and then turned to the crowd as Kingsley finally announced them as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Hermione laughed when Ruby hugged Ron.

She had watched her grow, and seen her blossom, despite the horrors she had gone through. If it wasn’t for Ruby she would never have had anything to do with Draco or the Malfoys. She would never have thought to help Bellatrix, and be best friends with her. She wouldn’t have fallen in love, she wouldn’t have gotten married, and she wouldn’t be expecting a baby.

But most importantly, her life wouldn’t have been turned upside down.


In the best possible way, of course!
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YAY! Just the epilogue to go, now! I hope you guys will tell me what you think of this chapter? Yes? GOod.

You've read, now rate/review! Better yet, do BOTH!!!