Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, or the quote. Harry Potter is J.K Rowling's and the quote was found online.

"And you learn that love, true love, always has joys and sorrow, seems ever present, yet is never quite the same, becoming more than love and less than love, so difficult to define. And you learn that through it all, you really can endure, that you really are strong, that you do have value."

- Unknown Author

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It's every girls dream to become a bride. It may not stay that way when we grow older, it may not be what we want in the end, but at some point we all think about it.

Dreams of fairytale-princes, white horses, and shining armor. Being whisked off your feet, and carried off to a distant land. Having the perfect life. You know what though? There is no such thing.

It is fair to stand by, and watch all your friends get married, one by one? It is really fair not to get the one person you love, to love you back? You've asked yourself this hundreds of times, yet you still have no answer.

You want to stop having faith because if God really loved you, then wouldn't you be happy? Wouldn't you be with the one you love? Wouldn't you get the happily ever after you deserve? This of course raises another question. Do you really deserve it? I mean, you must have done something incredibly horrid in a past life of something to deserve this punishment. Yet, you can think of nothing.

The only thing that comes to mind is the day you fell in love with him, the day your heart was forever bound to break, crack, tarnish, and rip. The day his emerald green eyes seemed to sparkle a bit more, or the way his unruly jet hair comes out a little messier after you run your fingers through it.

So there you are, standing in your pale green bridesmaid dress, laughing at the irony. You walk slowly down the aisle, wishing that if you close your eyes, maybe when you open them, it'll be you wearing the lovely, flowing, white gown, marrying the man you love. Alas, you open your eyes, and shyly glance around, hoping what you see wouldn't be true, that maybe, just maybe it would be your turn.

But it isn't, it never was.

You watch the bride and groom take their first kiss as husband and wife, watch as the profess their love for one another in front of their family and friends, silently wishing it was you. You watch them share their first dance at the recpetioon, and you watch the happy couple whisper to each other, but then your eyes are drawn across the room, almost as if my a mystical force.

All of a sudden, your chocolate brown eyes, are looking across the floor to the pair of emerald green ones that you've been dreaming of for years. A small smile graces your lips, as you walk towards him.

He holds out his hand, and you take it. So the two of you are dancing the night away. You lose track of time, and only notice when the bride has to throw the bouquet. The two of you stop dancing, and you silently curse yourself for ever thinking you could get a moment of happiness. You decide that waiting to catch a small, insignificant bouquet of flowers is a stupid tradition, one that you will not participate in.

Imagine your surprise when you watch, in slow motion, the bouquet fly towards you. It lands in your lap, and you just seem to stare. Falsely smiling, you pick it up, and walk to the center of the dance floor, knowing that the tradition has probably lost it's appeal, since Hermione "Bridesmaid Extraordinaire" Granger would never marry. It was like you were cursed to live your life alone. That was until the garter was thrown.

Fate or Faith must really hate you now. To have the garter land in the hand of the one you love, that just says it all. At first you say nothing as he slips it onto your ankle. He pulls it up to your knee, then stops and looks at you, silently asking for permission to go further. You nod, silently answering his plea, then he fits it perfectly onto you thigh, and removes his hands. You stare at each other for a few moments, tiny emotions flicker through the green eyes you love so much.

Then, it's gone.

You both realize where you are, and what exactly you were doing. He helps you up out of your chair, both of you hoping that no one saw your display of emotion, especially each other. Of course though, it is a lost cause, everyone has seen it, and will probably talk about it the rest of the night. In effect to that, you two stay away from each other the rest of the night.

You have to sit there and watch him flirt and dance with other women, every time a piece of your heart shatters, and you become sick of it, so you decide to play your own game. Eventually, it becomes a contest between the two of you, which one can make the other more envious. Then the last song plays.

He gets tired of your games, and calmly walks over to you. He holds out his hand just like he had done earlier in the night. You stare up at him a few moments, trying to make it seem like your arguing with yourself for an answer, even though you both know that you'll end up saying yes. You smirk up at him, and take his hand in yours.

He leads you to the floor, and you both sway to the music. You keep glancing at his lips, wondering what it would be like if he kissed you just then, but you know that wont happen because you're just "best friends." You hope your glances aren't that noticeable, but of course they are.

He lifts one hand up to your chin, and makes you look him in the eye. The two of you stop dancing, and you're entranced by the emotions flickering in his eyes. He leans forward, and you automatically shut your eyes, knowing that your dream will come true, thanking God for his reward on you.

Your tender kiss ends, and you can't help but think that maybe this was the reason you weren't married yet, maybe this was the reason you were always a bridesmaid, but never a bride. The difference is now your okay with that, and know that one day you will get to be the one dressed in white, for your prince charming already came. In fact, he had been right there all along.

~Fin~

Author's Note - So what did you guys think? This just was another fic from being bored all day. In case you guys didn't pick up on it, the guy is Harry, and the girl is Hermione. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Please review, and let me know! Check out my fic Meant to be? It's a classic Lily and James pairing, with my own spin on things.