Hermione gingerly unwrapped her present. Had it been more carefully wrapped, she could have undone the tape far more easily with her practised method of preserving the wrapping paper. Unfortuantely, Harry had taped it all together hastily yesterday when he saw the car approach, resulting in a gift with far too much tape and extra folds where they shouldn't be. Harry watched her eagerly, while Emma was trying to get clues from her husband, who wasn't giving an inch.
Riiiiiipppp came the sound of tearing paper as Hermione let out an exasperated sigh. "Will you finally just open it up, Hermione?" Harry goaded her on.
"Fine," she sighed as she quickly ripped off the paper, revealing a nondescript box inside. As she opened it up, she stared at the contents, speechless for a few seconds, before shutting it again quickly. "Harry! How is this possible? They said they couldn't get another one until..."
"Magic," Harry replied, grinning from ear to ear.
"Harry, tell me! Did they have this one at a different branch? You didn't pay a huge sum of money to get a whole new one made quickly, did you? How did... oh wait, you meant magic magic, didn't you?"
"Hermione, for being the smartest witch ever, I have to wonder how you forget that you are a witch sometimes."
"I usually put my mind off magic while I'm at home, since I can't cast spells anyways. I normally read muggle novels and textbooks while I'm back..." Hermione explained sourly. Her mood didn't last though, as she opened the box once again and held the dress in front of her. "Mum, dad, I'm sorry, but I really want to try this dress on right now. I'll open your gift later!" She ran up to her room, slamming the door behind her.
"Harry, I think this is a good time for you to go to your room and put your dress robes on," Emma said as she nudged him. As Harry left, she said to her husband, "Get the camera."
Only five minutes later, Hermione was already changed and quickly walking down the stairs while quickly combing and tying her hair back into a simple, but elegant, bun that the hairstylist had shown her. "Don't rush, dear, you'll trip!" Emma warned.
"Actually, she probably won't, with that dress. One of the things Harry ordered was some kind of charm that made it easier to walk with it on," Dan explained.
"It fits like a dream, mum! It's so much more comfortable than when I tried it on at the shop! It goes so well with the earrings. Where's Harry?"
"I'm coming!" Harry was slowly walking down the stairs, his eyes and hands on his collar. "How do you tie this thing, anyways?" he asked as he struggled with his bow tie. He looked towards Dan for help, who just shrugged in reply. Emma walked over to him.
"I'm the one who always ties his ties for him," she said. "Honestly! You'd think after almost two decades of marriage he'd learn to do it himself!"
"I'm nothing without you, honey!" Dan tried to appease his wife while he presented Hermione her present. "I think this would be a good time to open our gift to you," he said.
Hermione opened up the small box and hugged her father in delight. "This is perfect!" she cried as she took a necklace out of the box and immediately worked to put it on. Like the earrings, the chain was relatively thin and made of silver. It split into a double chain at the front and each of the two chains each with a sapphire dangling at the middle. There was another set of sapphires at the points where the chains met. It was displayed perfectly in the keyhole opening on Hermione's dress.
"How on earth did you pick that necklace?" Emma asked. "You didn't get to see that dress until yesterday with Harry, right?"
"Lucky guess?" Dan shrugged. He held up the camera. "Let's get some pictures!"
They spent the next hour running around the house, looking for good places to pose. After a few shots in front of the Christmas tree, and another on the couch, a few sitting on the stairs, they started on more staged shots. Dobby quickly whipped up a mock dinner as they sat on opposite ends of the table, there was another with Harry kneeling on the ground as if he was proposing, followed by one where he was holding Hermione in his arms. They even braved the cold outside for a few quick shots of them playing in the snow. Thankfully, the stain-resistant charms did their jobs well, preventing any snow or dirt from tarnishing their new evening wear. By the end of it, they had gone through three rolls of film and were all back in the living room, having a good laugh. Emma had tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Mum? What's the matter?" Hermione asked.
"You have no idea how happy this has been for me... I never thought I'd get the chance to see you like this!"
"What do you mean?"
"Your mother... well, she pretty much imagined your whole life before you were even born," Dan explained. "She would read you books every night before you'd go to bed, and then she would tuck you in and kiss you goodnight. She would take you to swimming lessons, and then piano lessons, and then you'd spend weekends playing together at the park... heck, she practically imagined your whole life up to the point where you got married."
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