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Hermione Granger-Parkinson had not been to her family reunions since she'd wiped her parents memories. Even now, with her parents memories reinstated, and a well placed lie covering the truth, Hermione had not gone back. Frankly, she didn't want to her.
Her cousins always thought they were better than her, and her aunts and uncles were all on the more conservative side. Her nana was nice, most of the time.
This year was different though. Her and Pansy, her darling wife, were planning for a child and she wanted to give her family one last chance. If things went well, then maybe she'd be happy to have them around when her child came along.
Still, it didn't mean she was looking forward to the whole ordeal. They'd be leaving soon, on Monday, driving down the muggle way much to Pansy's distaste. She didn't like wasting time sitting around in a car when she could be working on something worthwhile.
"They want me to do an interview, on Monday," Pansy told her over dinner. Hermione sighed.
"But we have to drive down in the morning," Hermione said, running a hand through the curls Pansy had helped her tame.
"I'll be there in time for lunch, if it doesn't run on," she tried.
"You'll be apparating," she said tightly. Pansy sighed.
"I won't let your family suspect I teleported in, I'll say I got a taxi," she reassured, reaching a hand over the small table and grabbing Hermione's hand. "Not even your parents will suspect anything. You can say I had a last minute meeting."
"There's no way around it?" Hermione asked. Pansy sighed, and shook her head.
"I'm sorry my love," Pansy said, squeezing her hand. "I'll still be there, in time for lunch if I can rush the interview."
"No chance of convincing them you want to interview the minister instead?" she asked, a small smile breaking into her annoyance.
"Third week in the row? Love you'd need to cause a scandal for that to work," she said, laughing slightly.
"Don't tempt me," she said, smirking slightly. Pansy could see it, her wife causing a small scandal just to get Pansy out of the interview and give them both an even better reason to vanish from public eye for a week.
Hermione did not cause a scandal between dinner, and Monday morning. As much as she'd have loved too, really she couldn't. It would only delay the drive, and run the risk of complicated white lies for her extended muggle family. It wasn't worth it, even if she wanted to delay the reunion.
"Your tea is in the kitchen, I'll try and be there for lunch. I might get delayed. I know our room number though, and I'll call if I do get delayed for any reason," Pansy rushed out as Hermione stepped out of the bathroom. Hermione nodded along and smiled as Pansy dropped a kiss to her cheek.
"I'll see you later love, you don't want this exclusive to be missed," Hermione said, quickly dropping a kiss to Pansy's lips.
"Yeah, love you," Pansy said as she darted back into her small office. Hermione smiled after her.
"I love you too," she called after her, before trailing down to the kitchen. Pansy, ever the doting wife even when busy, had also set out a small breakfast for her. She didn't have long until she had to set off for the three hour drive.
By the time Hermione had settled at the table with her breakfast, Pansy was already rushing back down the stairs.
"Take a deep breath love, the interview isn't for another hour," Hermione said. Pansy waved her off.
"I've got to do the whole thing! The photo-shoot, the interview, and make a start on the article itself. Everything has to be perfect so I can get to you before lunch," Pansy said. Hermione sighed
"You'll be there, I know you will. Don't stress about it all, we'll work it out," Hermione said. Pansy sighed, and stopped at the kitchen table.
"My love, this is the first time I get to meet your extended family," she said. Her hand twitched up, reaching for her hair before Pansy clutched it into the back of the dining chair.
"And their first impressions of you aren't nearly as important as your job, or your sanity," she said gently. Pansy sighed but nodded.
"Do you want a drink or anything in a travel mug for the drive?" Pansy asked.
"Love, go sit down and relax," Hermione said. "You need your head for the interview, I can make my own travel drink."
"I know, I know, I just want to be helpful darling," she said. Hermione smiled at her and nodded.
"I know, but Pans you don't need to make up for anything just because you'll be late to the reunion," she told her. Pansy sighed but nodded.
"I'll be there as early as possible," Pansy promised. Hermione smiled at her.
The drive down was not fun. Hermione wasn't sure why anyone would enjoy driving for three hours. Maybe she should have looked into other options, but she wanted the freedom driving offered. If at any point she wanted to leave, it would be very to leave with no questions asked.
She'd have preferred it if Pansy had been with her, but work called. Pansy was a brilliant journalist, and she wasn't going to make her miss an interview and photo-shoot just because Hermione's extended family had decided to have the reunion in the middle of nowhere.
At least it was a pretty middle of nowhere. Hermione had to give them that. The hotel was nice too, an old castle renovated into a luxury home from home vacation spot. Tennis courts, indoor and outdoor pools, a spa in the lower levels of the dungeon, even an in-house cinema with two screens.
The perfect place to keep the family entertained. This was the first time since Hermione was seventeen that the whole family would be there, all twenty of them. Including Pansy, when she got there. She just hoped her family wouldn't be too harsh to her.
As much as she wanted to sit in her car, and hide from everyone for hours until Pansy could get there, that wouldn't be very fair to her few nice cousins. She'd heard from Leo, her favourite cousin, that he'd only agreed to go when he heard she was coming. She wasn't going to leave him to the wolves.
Just as she was getting herself ready to get out of her car, there was a knock at her window. Even years after being on the run, and in the war, she still had to fight her instinct to reach for her wand.
Speak of the devil, or well think of the devil, and he shall appear. Leo waved at her through the window, and she laughed, waving back. He stepped back to let her push open the door. Before she'd even fully stood, Leo pulled her into a hug.
"It's so good to see you again," he said, as she laughed.
"And you," Hermione said, pulling back. Leo hung back as Hermione pulled hers and Pansy's bags from the back of the car.
"You missed two weddings, the start of divorce that didn't go through, an engagement party, two baby showers, and a birth!" Leo complained. "You've been gone forever." Hermione laughed slightly. It was true, her cousin Elsie had married seven years ago, she'd heard that her uncle Nigel and his wife Betty had gotten close to divorce though she hadn't known why. She'd missed her cousin Eden's wedding three years back. She'd missed the birth of Elsie's son Jason four, nearly five years ago. And the baby shower a few months before that for him. She'd also missed Eden's baby shower just two months prior.
"I had wanted to go to Astra's engagement party, but something came up," she said, sighing. Hermione truly had, and she'd even been planning on bringing Pansy with her. But then there'd been some emergency at the ministry, and as the youngest Minister for Magic ever appointed, she'd had no choice but to be publicly seen to help. "If I could have avoided it I would have, Astra's always been so kind."
"Well, she is my twin sister, she's going to be brilliant," Leo said, laughing. He reached for one the suitcases as they set off towards the hotel, and it was then he caught the glint of rings on her finger. "Are those what I think they are?" he asked. Hermione hummed, and looked down to where he was pointing.
Pansy had proposed shortly after they'd graduated their eight year at Hogwarts, and while it had been a bit early in their relationship, they'd spent a good chunk of time just engaged. They'd gotten married five years ago, in the wizarding world. Then two years ago when civil partnerships were introduced in the UK, they'd had a small ceremony with just Hermione's parents and their friends.
"Yes, they are," Hermione said, grinning at the memories.
"Who's the lucky guy? Or gal?" he asked. Hermione laughed again and just shrugged.
"You're carrying her luggage, you'll find out later," she told him. Leo pouted, but nodded.
"Everyone's meeting in the lobby, I think it's annoying the front desk a little," he told her, happy to change the subject. "How are you at tennis? I was thinking of doing a cousins mini tennis tournament."
"I haven't played in years," Hermione said. She'd considered it, in recent years. A fun way to keep fit, and well she'd always enjoyed tennis when she'd been younger. She was sure Pansy would like it too, she could be incredibly competitive when she wanted to be.
"You don't fool me Hermione, I bet you spent every PE lesson in your fancy boarding school playing tennis and badminton, and other fancy sports," Leo said, laughing as he spoke.
"I really didn't," she said. It wasn't even a lie, they hadn't had PE lessons at Hogwarts. She supposed running around the castle from the dungeons to the seventh floor counted as a workout, and doing that on a semi-regular basis certainly kept them all in fit, fighting shape.
"Oh!" Leo said, suddenly excited as they neared the doors. "Astra's fiance, Peter, he went to a boarding school too! Also in Scotland. How cool is that? Do you think it was the same one?" Hermione hummed. The only Peter she could think off was Harry's dad's old friend that had basically sacrificed himself to save them. Though really, he'd gotten them into that situation by helping resurrect Voldemort. What where the chances they'd both gone to Hogwarts? What were the chances that another part of the magical world would find her family?
"There's a lot of boarding schools in Scotland," Hermione settled on. Leo laughed as he pushed open the glass front doors leading to the hotel lobby. Hermione laughed with him.
Across the lobby she spotted the large crowd of Grangers (and extended family) all surrounding the chairs. Leo lead her over to the front desk.
"Heya," Leo said. "Two more rooms under Granger, Leo and Hermione."
"Yup, we've got you here," the woman behind the desk said, she pulled one card from it's storage and held it out. "Hermione," she said, letting Hermione take the key. "And Leo," she finished holding the other keycard out.
"Thank you," Hermione said, smiling at her. The woman nodded, and smiled at her.
With no other way left to procrastinate, they headed for the family crowding the small lounge area in the lobby. Leo nudged her arm slightly with his arm, it had always been his way of offering support. Hermione took a deep breath and headed for them.
"Mione!" her dad called as soon as he caught sight of her. They met halfway to the group, her mum pulling her into a one armed hug.
"Oh it's been so long," her mum said. Beside them Leo laughed slightly.
"Hey Uncle Richard, Aunt Jenny," he greeted.
"Leo," Richard said, nodding to him. Jenny offered him a smile.
"Mum, me and Pansy were round for dinner two weeks ago," Hermione pointed out quietly.
"Speaking off," Richard said, looking around. "Where is she?" Hermione sighed. She should have been prepared for the questions. The whole family knew she was bringing a plus one, and yet she'd shown up alone.
"She got called to a meeting last minute. She'll be here as soon as she can," she explained. Richard, Jenny, and Leo all nodded.
"I'm learning more and more about your mystery missus," he joked. Jenny and Richard both laughed as Hermione rolled her eyes, still smiling.
"You'll love her," Richard said, smiling slightly at Hermione. "One of the nicest women we've ever had the pleasure of meeting."
"Dad," Hermione complained, shaking her head. He laughed slightly, but shrugged. With the conversation dead, they headed for the group.
"Heya," Leo said as they came to a stop by the sofa Nana Granger had settled on. Susan, Leo's mum, nodded slightly in acknowledgement to them but said nothing. Jasper, Leo's younger brother, smiled at them both. Andrew, his older brother, ignored them. Astra and her fiance were yet to arrive, but the rest of the family was.
"Leo dear," Nana greeted, smiling at him. "Can we expect a young man with you anytime soon?" she asked. Leo's face heated up, and he looked to the floor.
"Nana," he complained. "I've not found a boyfriend since last Tuesday, you can stop asking." Susan huffed.
"He wouldn't be welcome anyway," she said.
"Now now," Nana reprimanded softly.
"Mother," Susan hissed, glaring at both Leo and Hermione. It was no secret Hermione was bisexual, and Susan and her husband Liam, blamed Hermione for their son's homosexuality.
Elsie, their oldest cousin, was the first to spot Hermione's rings. It was her husband, Butch that she pointed them out to in what Hermione was sure was meant to be a whisper.
"Can't believe she's wearing fake wedding rings," Elsie said. Butch shrugged.
"They could be real," he offered, quieter. Elsie huffed. Hermione had a lot of attention on her hand then, Elsie had gotten everyone's attention. It took everything in her to not shrink away and hide the ring.
"If they're real, where's her husband?" Andrew asked.
"I'm in a civil partnership," Hermione said, using the same tone she took on when addressing the Wizengamot about a topic she knew they wouldn't like. "With my wife." Elsie snorted slightly.
"Where is she?" Eden asked, glaring at her husband Toby as he mimed gagging.
"A last minute meeting she couldn't reschedule," Hermione muttered, deflating slightly. "She'll be here as soon as she can."
"Of course she will dear," Nana Granger said. Something in her tone grated at Hermione, like she was placating a child about something she didn't really believe.
"Oh yes, a meeting. At what five in the morning?" Elsie asked.
"The meeting is nearby," Hermione lied easily. Years being friends with Harry and Ron had made her a brilliant liar, especially on the spot. It wouldn't take long to fill Pansy in on it, and she was great at the uptake.
"Sure it is," Elsie muttered, rolling her eyes. "How ever so convenient."
"Do you think she hired an actor for the part?" Andrew asked in a staged whisper to Elsie. Nigel, Elsie's dad and Hermione's actor huffed.
"Anything is possible. She has always loved being special, going to that exclusive Scottish boarding school," Nigel said. Betty, his wife, nodded along. She had a tendency to go along with whatever Nigel said. It was sad really, their relationship.
"She's an over-worker, your Pansy," Jenny said, happy to jump to her daughter's defence. Hermione's face heated up slightly. She always got a little embarrassed when her parents talked about Pansy in such high regard.
"Ah, but the rate she's going she'll be the boss soon enough," Richard said, laughing slightly. Hermione laughed slightly too. It was true though, she was certain Pansy was up for a promotion, and she was somewhat sure it had something to do with the many exclusive interviews Pansy got with Hermione as the Minister of Magic.
She glanced back to the front doors when she heard it open. Astra lead the way, with a man who Hermione could only assume was her fiance Peter, trailing after her carrying two suitcases with ease. There was something somewhat familiar about him, but maybe he just had that sort of face.
"Oh! You haven't met Peter at all have you?" Leo asked, dragging her along with him back towards the front desk.
"I haven't, no," Hermione said, still watching him from a distance.
"There aren't any bookings under Walker," the woman behind the desk said. "She's under Granger too, Astra," Leo called over. "Sorry Astra, Nana booked us all under Granger. You should've seen Elsie trying to kick up a fuss about it earlier!" Astra nodded to him, barely acknowledging him as she checked in. Peter turned though, and the look of shock over his face was enough confirmation for Hermione to know.
"Oh my, Mrs, sorry, Hermione, what a surprise," Peter said. Hermione laughed, her public relations laugh, and nodded slightly.
"I take it you were a few years ahead of me at school," she said, forcing the smile to stay on her face.
"I knew it! How cool is that?" Leo said, finally able to drag Astra into the conversation. "Your fiance and our favourite cousin went to the same fancy boarding school!" Astra laughed then, and looked to Hermione.
"Do you know each other then?" she asked, offering a hug to her. Hermione let herself get pulled into a hug.
"Not really," Hermione said. Leo hummed, looking between them with squinted eyes.
"But Peter recognised you Mione," he pointed out. Peter's face had heated up, an embarrassed red flaring up his face.
"Well, we never met. But basically everyone at school knew of her," Peter mumbled. "My whole dorm was jealous of her, we were two years ahead and she was dubbed the smartest in school. From second year!"
"I wasn't!" Hermione said, shaking her head. "Was I?" she asked after a beat.
"Yup, smartest wi- student. Smartest student in the whole school, and somehow you weren't in the smart house. So unfair," Peter joked. Hermione laughed then. Both Astra and Leo looked between, both humming.
"You were in Fred and George's year," Hermione realised. "That must have been hard."
"You should have seen what they did to our common room your first year. It was a nightmare! Professor Flitwick went through the roof! Never could prove it was them though," he said. Hermione laughed at that. She'd heard from the twins a few summers later what they'd done to the Ravenclaw common room, and how they'd gotten away with it.
"Ah, that was the Weasley Way!" Hermione said, laughing easily. "Always have reasonable deniability."
"It worked half the time," he agreed. "How is George these days?" he asked after a beat. The joy fell away quickly.
"He's managing. Better now than a few years ago," she told him, not giving away the details.
"Who are Fred and George?" Astra asked, cutting in.
"And shouldn't we head for the family?" Leo added. There was a pain to being around twins that bounced off of each other so easily, at least they weren't ginger.
"Friends of ours, back in school," Peter said. "Well, Hermione was their younger brother and sister's friend, but I got close to them in their final year. Fred passed a while back."
"Oh that's tragic!" Astra said.
"Yeah," Hermione agree quietly.
"So, the family," Peter said, changing the topic. The three of them nodded and turned to head back to the chill-out area their family had claimed while they waited. "Oh Hermione, don't you have a wife?" he asked. Bless him, Hermione thought, he was doing his best. She couldn't imagine he'd been prepared to interact with the Minster of Magic in such a casual setting.
"She had a meeting come up," Hermione said. "Pansy should be joining us soon if all goes smoothly."
"How do you know this?" Astra asked, looking to her fiance.
"Oh, um. Well, there's grapevines of gossip. I fell out of contact with George, but I know some friends of theirs. Its a sort of friend of a friend of a friend situation I guess. There's a lot of gossip too, Hermione is the sort a lot of people want to know about post school. See how the tiny genius is doing," he rambled away the explanation.
"Right," Astra said, looking between them again. Her eyebrows were knitted slightly, as if she was trying to work something out.
"So this Pansy, what's she like?" Leo asked. "You know, other than a workaholic and the nicest woman Uncle Richard has ever met?" Peter did his best to hide his sudden burst of laughter, but a glare from Hermione shut him up quickly.
"She's just dedicated, and determined," Hermione said. Peter huffed behind them, and muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like he was calling her a bully. "She's a come a long way from how her family raised her," she added.
"Astra," Susan greeted, smiling at her daughter.
"Mother," she said coldly.
"Mrs Walker," Peter greeted, just as coldly.
"Have you made plans for the wedding yet?" she asked, brushing over their tones.
"No mother," Astra said, not giving her an explanation. "Hiya Nana Granger," she said, hugging her slightly. "Andrew," she greeted as coldly as she had her mum. "Dad, Jasper."
"Hello everyone," Peter greeted, nodding to the rest of them.
"Peter, how are you?" Jenny asked.
"Jenny, I'm good. Did you know me and Hermione went to the same boarding school?" he said grinning slightly.
"Oh, how lovely!" she said, smiling tightly at him.
"Yes, lovely," Richard echoed.
"He was a few years ahead of me," Hermione said quickly. "In the blue house." Richard and Jenny nodded.
"Can we expect your friend anytime soon?" Liam, Susan's husband asked.
"My wife," Hermione said calmly, "will be here as soon as she can. But it may be another hour or so."
"Then we shall retire to our rooms until lunch," Nana Granger declared, pushing herself up off the sofa.
Hermione was happy to leave her family's side for some time before lunch. Leo and Astra were her nicest cousins, but it was a lot to take in, the full extended family. Jason, Elsie and Butch's little had been napping on the sofa, and she wasn't really ready to witness a four year old in all his hungry glory. There was a lot of family to deal with, and she'd been away for so long it had grown since she'd last been. It wasn't really something she could prepare for.
Leo, Astra, and Peter stuck close to Hermione as they headed up the stairs instead of for the lift. They were only on the third floor.
"I heard there was a lot of stairs in your boarding school," Astra commented. Hermione laughed slightly but nodded.
"I've just realised," Leo said suddenly, before Hermione or Peter could respond, "I've left my bag in my car."
"You'd leave your head at home if it were possible," Astra muttered. "Who's bag are you carrying then?"
"Oh, I took one from Hermione when I saw her in the car park," he said, shrugging. "Nice and light actually. Should've left her to carry it herself."
"Might have remembered to get your own then," Hermione said, grinning. "Give it here, go back and get yours."
"I'm taking the lift the next time. Don't know how you and Peter managed a whole bunch of stairs for years at school," Leo said, holding it out for Hermione to take as they paused on the stairs. Hermione laughed slightly, as Peter shrugged.
"We were young then, and it was run through the staircases, or get detention for being late," Peter said.
"Or detention for running if you got caught," Hermione added. Leo huffed but turned to head back.
"What sort of school was it?" Astra asked as Leo ran off. Peter and Hermione both shrugged easily.
"A boarding school," Peter answered, grinning lopsidedly.
"You know what I mean," she complained.
"I'll tell you, one day," he tried.
"Oh for Mer- heavens sake," Hermione muttered. "Look, it's complicated and I'll tell you when we can't be over-heard."
"Is that safe? Or smart?" Peter asked.
"She's my cousin, which is a legal grey area already, but she's your fiance which all but entitles her to the truth," Hermione said, shrugging. "Besides, what am I going to do? Hand myself over?"
"Hello, hi, your fiance Peter, and you cousin Hermione. I'm very confused here," she said.
"It's complicated," Peter tried.
"Let's just get to our rooms, and then we'll tell you," Hermione promised.
"Can't we talk about it first?" he asked. "Like what needs to be shared?"
"I'm entitled to the truth," Astra said, clutching onto one of the very few things she'd understood from the exchange. Peter sighed but nodded. The silence that fell over them was somewhere between awkward and familiar. The impending conversation hovering over them all, the weight of it obvious. Hermione couldn't begin to imagine what Astra was thinking.
The rest of the walk to their rooms, fortunately opposite each other, was done in that confusing silence. Hermione knew that Astra would want some form of proof, she just wasn't sure what sort of proof she could offer her. Peter had a point too, how much did Astra need to know about the wizarding world?
Hermione left them to their own devices as she headed for her room to put away the two suitcases. Or well she tried too, but Peter left Astra with their suitcases and followed after Hermione.
He stood awkwardly in the door as Hermione opened Pansy's suitcase to lay out a less business outfit for her to rush up and change into.
"I don't want her to know about the war," Peter finally said.
"My parents know about it," Hermione retorted.
"And?" he asked, resting against the door to the bathroom in the small entry.
"When they find out Astra knows about Hogwarts, they'll want to talk to her about it all. That includes the war," she said.
"But-" he tried.
"I know it was traumatic, I know what it did to people. I work to help counter the effects, even today," Hermione pushed on. "But she's my cousin. She's your wife. If you're going to be married, she'll become more and more aware of the wizarding world. It will become impossible to keep the truth of it all from her, especially if you two have kids down the line."
"She's a muggle," Peter pointed out, as if it had somehow escaped Hermione's notice.
"I'm a muggleborn," Hermione pointed out, turning to face him. "I know what it's like for non magic folk to walk into diagon alley and be completely lost. I know what that's like, because at eleven years old I was taken to the leaky cauldron along with six other muggleborns, and their guardians. I watched as nine guardians saw for the first time the world their children would be walking into with no preparations. I know it can be dangerous for muggles."
"I know what are you Minister, I don't think there's a witch or wizard alive in great Britain that doesn't," he said.
"My point is," she said, ignoring him. "Astra deserves to know the danger I was in, that we were all in. Voldemort doesn't hang over our heads anymore. Blood purity is quickly dropping in popularity. I'm the first elected muggleborn minster of magic in over a century, and the last one hid his blood status."
"If you think it is safe, then I suppose it is for the best," he agreed finally.
"And one more think Peter, my wife Pansy is a changed woman. I don't want to hear anymore of your remarks," Hermione added. He nodded slowly and turned away for the door.
Before Hermione could follow him out, her flip phone rang in her jean pocket. She let Peter go on without her, he should probably take a moment to process the whole suddenly being allowed to tell his fiance the truth.
Pansy's name popped up on the screen and Hermione felt herself smile without really meaning too. She flipped the phone open and held it to ear.
"Hey love," she greeted.
"Good news, the interview is done and so is the photo-shoot. The bad news," Pansy started, sighing. Hermione could practically see the way she shook her head and tugged at the bottom of her blazer. "The bad news," she repeated. "They want me to finish the article in two days. I have to get started today."
"Do it after lunch," Hermione begged. She heard Pansy sigh again on the other end.
"I'll do the opening, and a rough outline, and then I'll come. I promise," Pansy said.
"Pans," Hermione said, deflating. "I know I said your job is more important than first impressions, but I don't know if I can do this whole thing alone."
"I'll be there," Pansy promised again. Hermione hummed halfheartedly. She wanted to believe her, of course she did. But, she knew her wife. If she wanted to polish off the opening of the article, she'd have to write at least one full first draft. It could be a while.
"You're meant to have the week off," she tried instead. "You booked it off, it got approved. You shouldn't be working at all."
"I know," Pansy said. "I know Hermione I really do."
"So you'll be here soon?" Hermione asked, perking up again.
"I'll do the outline," she said. Finding a middle ground, they'd gotten good at that over the years of being together. "Just the outline, nothing more. And then I'll be over." Pansy promised.
"You better be Mrs Granger-Parkinson," she said.
"Yes my darling wife," Pansy said, laughing slightly. The call disconnected then. They rarely said goodbye, they preferred to end with the promise they'd see each other soon.
Hermione took a deep breath, and headed for Astra's room. She'd not had to do this before, tell a muggle about magic. She'd rarely left the wizarding world since she'd found out she was a witch. She'd had some practice telling muggleborn witches and wizards what they were, but she'd not been very good at the whole telling muggles thing.
"I want an explanation," Astra said, as soon as she opened her hotel room door to Hermione.
"You'll get one," she promised, closing the door behind her.
"I was two years ahead of Hermione, at the boarding school," Peter started.
"Oh cut to the chase," Astra almost begged.
"We went to Hogwarts," Hermione said. "School of witchcraft and wizardry. It's the highest funded magical school in the United Kingdom, one of seven top wizarding schools in the world. I wasn't given the choice for a smaller wizarding school, because I was not born into a magical school."
"No, you've lost me," Astra said.
"There's a whole secret society living around us. Witches, wizards, magic. We have our own government," Peter told her.
"This is, no," she said, shaking her head. "You're pulling my leg."
Hermione pulled her wand from her hidden holster, and held it out. Peter eyed it slightly, but reached for his own wand tucked away out of sight.
"Do you carry those all the time?" Astra asked, looking between them. Hermione nodded, and Peter shrugged. "They're sticks," she tried. Hermione glanced around the room. She wasn't really sure what she could do to prove it, show her magic was real.
"We could duel," Hermione said. Peter paled and shook his head.
"I haven't got a death wish!" he muttered. Hermione laughed. "No, I'm serious. You're terrifying!"
"What?" Astra askd. Hermione sighed.
"There was a war," Hermione started.
"A while ago," Peter jumped in.
"The quick run down of it all, there was an evil wizard that hated muggles and muggle-borns," she continued. Astra scrunched her eyebrows and looked over to Peter.
"Muggle is the wizarding word for people without magic. Hermione's muggle-born because her parents are muggles," he explained. Hermione nodded.
"In the war, and after, I may have managed to build a reputation," Hermione muttered. Peter snorted.
"You've had a reputation since your first year, only got more terrifying after your third year," Peter told her. "I mean, a muggle-born punching Malfoy? Oh what I would give to go back and witness that!"
"Right, so magic," Astra said slowly. Hermione swished her wand towards the suitcases, with a flick they started to float up.
"Magic," Astra repeated. "Ok, so I'm marrying a wizard. Anything else I'll have to know?"
"Hermione's the minister of magic," Peter said, pushing himself out of the spot light.
"Minister of magic? What's that?" she asked. "Like, prime minister or something?"
"We've got our own government in wizarding Britian," he said.
"I'm the um, youngest Minister of Magic, it's not important though," Hermione said.
They sat together in Astra and Peter's hotel room, slowly telling Astra more about the wizarding world. It was sort of nice to discuss the other side of her life with someone she was related too. Hermione would almost call it a weight off her chest.
The calmness couldn't last forever though. There was a storm brewing, the family lunch. And the one person Hermione desperately wanted at her side, wasn't there yet.
They had the largest table in the hotel's restaurant, big enough for the full twenty of them. Hermione settled in a seat next to her mum, with the only empty seat left open next to her. Discretely, she slipped her phone out to check for any texts from Pansy. She had left a note in their room, right by the outfit she'd laid out for her.
"So Hermione," Elsie started, sat opposite her. "Where's your girlfriend?"
"My wife," Hermione said sternly, "is on her way. She'll be here as soon as she can."
"Oh sure, sure," she said, smirking and nodding painfully slow.
"You don't have a wife," Toby, Eden's husband, said. "You can't get married to another woman." Eden rolled her eyes, but stayed quiet.
"I mean, they're in a civil partnership," Adam, Elsie and Eden's younger brother muttered. Toby scoffed.
"If Hermione wants to call Pansy her wife, she can," Leo said harshly, glaring across the table at them. Nana Granger nodded at Leo's words. She was sat at the head of the table, and Jason, Elsie and Butch's son had taken the other end of the table.
"I for one," Andrew said, smirking, "am very excited to meet this woman that would settle for Hermione."
Hermione ignored it. From her years of family events, and the bullies she'd endured through her school years, Hermione had gotten good at ignoring snide remarks. It was practically second nature.
"Oh, Pansy is a lovely young woman," Jenny said, offering a smile to her daughter as she checked her phone again.
"She certainly doesn't care for first impressions," Hermione's aunt Susan said, shaking her head just slightly.
"She's working," Richard said, happy to stick up for his daughter-in-law. The conversation centred on Hermione died out, much to her relief. Hermione did her best to ignore the subtle jabs at her, and the dirty looks her aunt and uncle, and their spouses, sent to them.
It wasn't the nicest. It was exactly everything Hermione had remembered and wanted to avoid. But Hermione wasn't the young girl that had gotten bullied by her cousins, and disregarded by her aunts and uncles.
No, Hermione was the youngest Minister of Magic, and the first muggle-born Minister of Magic in over a century. She had been a key component in the second wizarding war of the United Kingdom. She could hold her own, and she'd done just that in the face of worse advisories than her cousins.
In Hermione's pocket, her phone buzzed. She quickly pulled it open, and flipped open the screen to read Pansy's text.
"My wife," Hermione said, taking a mild sense of joy at the way some of the people at the table reacted so negatively, "is now here. She's just gone to our room to get changed, she'll be down any moment."
"Will she really?" Andrew asked tightly.
"Oh how nice, we haven't seen her in so long," Richard said, smiling at Hermione, and easily ignoring his nephew.
"Dad, we were over for dinner two weeks ago," Hermione reminded.
"We don't see you two nearly often enough," he continued, shaking his head in mock disappointment.
"I for one," Leo cut in, grinning, "am incredibly excited to meet your wife."
"I should get to know her," Astra said, almost thoughtfully. "Being your wife and all, she'll be invited to my wedding."
"I don't see why you chose to bring another woman to the family reunion," Nigel huffed out.
"I mean," Adam started up, "they're in a civil partnership. That's as good as married."
"Well it's not married is it, so is she really part of the family?" Susan asked. Richard huffed. Sometimes he had a hard time understanding how he, his older brother, and his younger sister had all come from the same parenting. They could be so rude.
"If that's the hill you want to fight on," Astra started, huffing. "Then Peter shouldn't be here. He's been coming with me to family events for years, and we're not married."
"You're engaged, it's as good as," Susan tried.
"Hermione is in a legally binding agreement that gives her and Pansy many of the same legal benefits as being married," Peter added, just as annoyed. "If her wife isn't welcome here, than neither am I."
"Now now, you know that's not what they mean," Andrew said, shaking his head.
"Oh? And what do they mean?" Leo asked, leaning forward slightly as he tilted his head.
"Well, now," Andrew sputtered.
The argument got cut silent, as heels smoothly clicked up and stopped at their table.
"Hermione's family," Pansy greeted smoothly. Hermione allowed herself to look her wife up and down. After all, if she couldn't admire her stunning wife what was the point of life? Ok, maybe she was being dramatic, but Pansy did truly look stunning. "Richard, Jen, we haven't seen you ages!"
"It's been two weeks, we had dinner with them two weeks ago," Hermione pointed out for the third time. Pansy laughed slightly, and pulled the chair out to settle next to Hermione.
"Hello my love," Pansy said, lifting her hand up to kiss it, ever the dramatic romantic.
"How was work?" she asked quietly. Pansy sighed, and shook her head.
"I'll tell you later," she settled on. Hermione nodded slightly. There was going to be some complaining later, and Hermione was ready for it. "Alright, introduce me to everyone," Pansy said.
"I'm Jason!" the four year old said happily. Elsie huffed.
"That's Jason," Hermione said, smiling at him slightly. It wasn't his fault his mother was an annoying, bitchy, woman. "My cousin Elsie, her husband Butch, they're his parents. Then there's Eden, and her husband Toby. And that's Adam," she pointed out, starting with one side of cousins.
"Elsie, Butch, Eden, Toby, Adam," Pansy repeated quietly, pointing to them. "Got it. Oh and Jason of course," she added smiling at the little boy.
"Then there's Nigel, my dad's older brother, and his wife Betty," Hermione continued. "Nana Granger, everyone calls her that."
"Nice to meet you Nana Granger," Pansy said, nodding down the table at her. Nana Granger smiled just barely and nodded back.
"There's Susan, my dad's younger sister, and her husband Liam," Hermione went on. Pansy nodded.
"Then there's Andrew, Leo and Astra the twins, those are the cousins I mentioned the other day. Astra's fiance Peter, he was two years ahead of us in school," she paused slightly as Pansy hummed and nodded, not quite making eye contact with him. "And finally, Jasper."
"Well, it is truly a pleasure to meet you all," Pansy said, quickly glancing around all of them and smiling.
"Hm, well. You must have skeleton's in your closet," Susan huffed. Richard glared at her as Pansy glanced down at the menu.
"How did Hermione get you to, to date you?" Elsie asked, glaring at her as she looked her up and down with a scowl.
"Oh hun," Pansy said, pouting just slightly as she shook her head. "That is entirely the wrong question I'm afraid. It's rather a question of how on Earth did I convince Hermione to date me!"
"With study schedules, a strict routine, and one romantic gesture I'd imagine," Leo said, laughing slightly. Hermione hummed, but laughed too as Pansy shrugged.
"He's not far off," Hermione admitted quietly.
"She simply meant," Andrew cut in, looking Pansy over his eyes lingering in places they should not. "That you are far beyond Hermione."
"I'm really not," Pansy said coldly. "If either of us are beyond the other, she is beyond me."
"Pans," Hermione said quietly, squeezing her hand just slightly.
Lunch was tense after that. Any snide remark, went with another shot back from Pansy. Hermione wouldn't lie, there was something nice to having Pansy so vehemently defending her.
"I'm heading to the outdoor pool if anyone wants to join me," Eden said.
"I think we need some rest," Hermione said for both her and Pansy. "But we'll see you all at dinner." Pansy nodded along.
It was a quiet trip up the stairs to their room, accompanied by Astra and Peter, the only others willing to climb the stairs. Hermione was almost waiting for Astra to bring up Pansy going to school with them, but mercifully she stayed quiet.
The peace lasted until Hermione and Pansy were shut in their room, truly away from everyone.
"I can't stand your family," Pansy announced. "Mostly that cousin of yours Elsie, and the other one, Andrew. Though your aunts and uncles aren't much better. Astra and Leo seem nice, I can give them that. Peter too, but the rest I can't stand."
"Adam does his best." Hermione added. "And Eden has her good moments. Jasper is alright too, when he wants to be."
"I am not raising or children around these people," she said. Hermione sighed but nodded.
"No, you're right. They haven't changed," she said. "It was naive of me to think they would." Pansy sighed and settled on the edge of the bed, pulling Hermione down next to her.
"Not naive, just hopeful. They're family after all. You want them to like you, you want them to be family to you," Pansy said, resting her hand on Hermione's thigh. "You wanted them to be the extended family our kids could actually have."
"I just thought maybe, with years apart they'd grow as people," Hermione whispered, the confession to much for anything louder.
They hadn't changed though. They were still the same. Elsie still looked down on Hermione, Eden still wanted to be like her older sister. Adam was still too timid to do anything Andrew was still the sort of man Hermione would punch if only they weren't related. Susan, Liam, Betty, and Nigel were still all assholes who where far too happy to ignore their kids rude attitudes.
Her kids deserved better than that. They deserved a loving family, and they'd get one. They'd have Richard and Jenny for grandparents, and Leo, Astra, and Peter for family. They'd have Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Neville as aunt and uncles. They'd have Draco, Theo, and Blaise as uncles on the other side. They'd have the Weasleys.
Her and Pansy's kids would get a large family, it just wouldn't all be based on blood. She could live with that.
"We can leave, any time you want too," Pansy told her.
"I think I want to stick it out, It's Nana Granger's birthday on Wednesday. I want to be there for that. And I'll stick it out for Leo and Astra," Hermione decieded.
"Alright," she agreed. Pansy would agree to just about anything for Hermione, and she really didn't mind.