A/N - This is a light-hearted one shot in a universe where there was no war. This story is rated M more for precaution rather than the tiny bit of suggestiveness in the middle. Enjoy.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" Harry Potter asked with a frown, poking his head around the door of his best friend, Hermione Granger's office.
The previous day, Hermione had started what was supposed to be a month long holiday from her job as a lawyer at the Ministry of Magic. In a weeks time she was getting married, and she'd taken the week before the wedding off work to make sure everything was sorted and that there would be no major dramas.
"I work here, Harry," Hermione replied, barely looking up from the filing she was doing. "Unlike you, I might add. What are you doing at the Ministry?"
"Ron and I had lunch together but Ron had forgotten his wallet, so I paid and he was giving me the money he owed," Harry replied. Ron also worked at the Ministry, in the department of magical sports and games.
"You made him pay for his own lunch?" Hermione chuckled with a raised eyebrow. "Can't the big quidditch star afford to treat his friends?"
"Hey, I offered to pay but Ron was insistent on paying his own way," Harry countered.
In the past Ron would have likely been happy for Harry to pay for his lunch since his friend was much wealthier than he was, but Ron was much more mature now and he liked to pay his own way. Although that wasn't to say that Harry didn't still treat Ron occasionally, but he hadn't been going to argue with his brother-in-law over the cost of lunch.
"Although you still haven't told me what you're doing here," he reminded Hermione. "Didn't your holidays start yesterday."
"Yes, but I was so busy yesterday I didn't have time to sort everything," Hermione admitted. "So I thought I'd come in this morning and finish up."
"It's afternoon now," Harry pointed out. "Ron and I had a late lunch."
"Sod it," Hermione swore as she checked the time. "I said I would be home an hour ago."
"I'm sure you can sweet talk your way out of that one," Harry laughed. He found it highly amusing that Hermione had her fiancé wrapped around her little finger, especially as he was rather a tough cookie and had a formidable reputation in the business world.
"It's this damn wedding, it's got me so stressed," Hermione admitted as she quickly finished what she was doing and gathered her coat and bag.
"What about your words of advice to Ginny?" Harry asked as Hermione locked her office and the pair headed for the elevator. "When we were getting married and she was running about like a headless chicken, you told her that none of the things she was worried about mattered. You told her that the only thing that mattered was her marrying the wizard she loved. I do believe you described everything else as unnecessary window dressing."
"What did I know?" Hermione snorted as they moved into the elevator and pressed for the ground floor. "I was single at the time, and I imagined that when I got married, it wouldn't be as stressful. But I've ended up engaged to an only child, whose mother is determined that her son's wedding will be a day to remember. And don't even get me started on the press attention. They've been waiting for things to go wrong ever since we got together, and they would love for some disaster to befall the wedding."
"I'm sure that's not true," Harry soothed.
"You know it's true, Harry," Hermione countered. "Just look at the way they hound you and Ginny. They think because you're both quidditch players that they can document your every move."
"It can be a bit stifling," Harry admitted. "Sometime I feel as though I can't even break wind without it making the papers."
"Nice analogy, Harry," Hermione quipped with a roll of her eyes. "And now it's time same for me. Before this, I was just an ordinary witch. Even been best friends with The Boy Who Lived wasn't enough to warrant press attention. But the second I started dating Draco, they all were all over me like a rash."
"The Malfoys are our worlds royalty," Harry said as the pair disembarked from the elevator in the atrium.
The family Hermione was marrying into was one of the oldest and most well respected in Wizarding Britain. Not to mention they were stinking rich, and consisted of three of the most attractive people in their world. Lucius and Narcissa had been a regular in the papers for decades, and they were often referred to as the most beautiful couple in the country. And their son, Draco, was just as strikingly handsome and from the moment he left Hogwarts he'd been one of the media's favourite people to write about.
"And I am not good enough," Hermione muttered. "I'm not pretty enough, I'm not rich enough, my blood isn't pure enough. I work, rather than devoting my life to be husband-to be. My world does not revolve around Draco."
"You know all of that is nonsense," Harry said, stopping beside the fires and taking hold of Hermione by the shoulders. "Malfoy loves you. He thinks the world of you. And in my opinion, it's because you're not like the brain dead pure-bloods he's grown up surrounded by. If that was what he wanted, he would have been married years ago. But instead he wanted something more, and he found you. Don't let the press get to you, Hermione. They can only cause trouble if you let them."
"I guess you're right," Hermione conceded with a sigh.
"Of course I'm right," Harry replied with a grin. "Now go home and apologise to your fiancé for keeping him waiting. And stop stressing. The wedding will be perfect."
Hoping that Harry was right, Hermione said goodbye to him and headed home. Not that she honestly thought she would be able to stop stressing about the wedding, as it had been dominating her every waking thought for the past few months. She'd even started to have nightmares of everything going wrong and the day which should have been the happiest of her life, turning into an absolute disaster.
"Nothing will go wrong," she muttered to herself as she arrived home, in the only room which contained a floo connection.
Dropping her bag and coat onto a chair and kicking off her heels, Hermione headed off in search of her fiancé. Chances were, Draco wasn't happy that she late, but she was hoping she could make it up to him. However, when she entered the front room, her stomach dropped when she spotted an overnight bag sitting on the sofa.
"No," she whispered, shaking her head in disbelief. She knew she'd been a bit crabby lately, but she'd never dreamed that Draco would leave her. "Draco," she called, loudly, hoping it wasn't to late to stop the wizard she loved from walking out on her.
"You're late," Draco said as he strolled into the front room, carrying a second overnight bag.
"I got caught up," Hermione replied quietly. "I'm sorry. And I'm sorry for being such a bitch. I know these last few weeks haven't been easy on you."
"They haven't exactly been a picnic," Draco admitted.
"You can't go, Draco," Hermione begged, grabbing hold of her fiancé's arm. "I love you, and I thought you loved me."
"Of course I love you," Draco replied with a confused frown before his face lit up in understanding. "Bloody hell, Hermione, I'm not leaving you."
"You're not?" Hermione gasped with a relieved sigh. "Then what's with the bags?"
"They're for us. We're going away."
"Away? We can't go away, Draco. We get married next weekend."
"Well then, it's a good job we're going away this weekend," Draco drawled in reply. "And it's not up for negotiation, Hermione. Everything is already booked. We are going away, and we are going to have a relaxing weekend."
"But what if we're needed for wedding arrangements?" Hermione questioned.
"Everything is already sorted," Draco pointed out. "But if an emergency comes up, mother can handle it. I won't take no for an answer, Hermione. We're going away for the weekend."
"Can I at least change first?"
"You can change when we get there," Draco said. "I've packed everything we're going to need."
"You have packed clothes, haven't you?" Hermione checked. "Because I am not spending the weekend naked."
"Yes, I've packed clothes," Draco chuckled as he picked up the bags. "Come on, let's go."
After establishing an international floo connection, Draco gave Hermione the address of a hotel in the Italian lakes. Knowing that if they were going to a hotel, they would have to wear clothes, Hermione headed through the floo with no complaints. And she certainly had no complaints when she arrived in the lobby of a beautiful, airy hotel. The hotel was sleek and modern, and much to Hermione's delight, they hadn't gone overboard with the décor. Everything was understated and elegant, and oozed class.
When they checked in, Hermione was surprised to find they were in the honeymoon suite, but when she questioned Draco about his choice of room, he merely smirked and informed her that it was a well known fact that the honeymoon suites had the biggest beds.
"You're incorrigible," she chuckled.
"And you wouldn't have me any other way," Draco retorted.
The honeymoon suite itself was as elegant as Hermione had hoped from the reception area. The room was painted cream, with subtle gold touches and the furniture in the room were all a matching shade of light golden wood. There was a bit more colour in the adjoining bathroom, where again the main theme was cream, but this time flecked with a soothing aquamarine. And then there was the large balcony, which offered stunning views of the beautiful Italian lakes.
"It's gorgeous," Hermione breathed, standing on the balcony and taking in the sights.
"I've arranged for us to have an evening cruise on one of the lakes this evening," Draco informed her as he slipped his arms around her waist and nuzzled at her neck.
"It's perfect Draco, thank you," Hermione said with a smile. She could feel the stress slipping away from her, and she was so grateful that Draco knew exactly what she'd needed.
"I just want you to be happy," he whispered, his soft lips brushing over her ear.
"I'm very happy," Hermione replied, tilting her head so she could see her fiancé's face. "And if this boat ride isn't until tonight, we have some time to kill."
"Don't you want to explore the hotel?" Draco asked with a low chuckle.
"I'd rather explore you," Hermione retorted silkily.
"That can be arranged," Draco replied as they moved back into the room, leaving the balcony doors standing wide open.
When they reached the bed, the couple began to slowly undress each other, taking the time to kiss and caress every inch of skin that was exposed. In no real hurry, they took their time and only when they were both naked and more than ready for more did they collapse onto the large bed which dominated the room. Still in no particular hurry, they continued to kiss and caress each other as the heat slowly reached a crescendo and their desperate need for more took over.
"I love you so much," Draco gasped as he pushed inside Hermione, almost losing it at how perfect it felt to be buried inside of the witch he loved.
"I love you too," Hermione returned breathlessly. "Now move before we both die of disappointment."
"You're always so impatient," Draco chuckled, catching Hermione's lips with his.
"Because you are such a tease," Hermione retorted, arching herself upwards so her nipples rubbed against Draco's bare chest. "Please Draco. Make love to me."
Unable to refuse such a request, Draco did as Hermione requested and he made love to her, slowly but passionately. Three times he tipped Hermione into bliss, before finally following her into oblivion with his own earth-shattering orgasm.
"Wow," Hermione breathed when she finally got her breath back.
"Wow indeed," Draco mumbled, his head buried between Hermione's breasts as he lay collapsed on top of her.
Hermione ran her fingers through Draco's hair, until he had the strength to haul himself up the bed and collapse next to her on the cream sheets. Lying snuggled next to Draco, Hermione had never felt happier and she was more relaxed than she'd been for months. Suddenly the wedding didn't seem as important, and as she recalled Harry's words from earlier she realised that she'd been right all those years ago when she'd told Ginny that marrying the man she loved was all that mattered. It didn't matter how perfect the wedding itself was, all that mattered to Hermione was that she was marrying the wizard she was going to spend the rest of her life with. The man who would be the father of her children. The man she would grow old with.
"What's with the soppy grin?" Draco asked.
"I'm just thinking about how much I'm looking forward to becoming your wife," Hermione replied, unable to stop herself from smiling. "I can't wait until I'm Mrs Malfoy."
"Neither can I," Draco admitted with a grin, just as his stomach let out a loud growl. "Sorry," he apologised sheepishly. "We missed lunch."
"I'm rather hungry as well," Hermione replied. "Let's get dressed and go and find somewhere to eat."
Given their exertions, both Draco and Hermione had to shower before they dressed. Although when it did come to getting dressed, Hermione was pleasantly surprised to find that Draco had packed some of her favourite clothes. That wasn't to say she didn't find a lot of saucy underwear, but at least he'd given some thought to what she was going to wear when they weren't in bed.
Fully dressed the couple left the honeymoon suite and ended up at the on-site restaurant. The restaurant offered yet more stunning views of the lakes, and the couple enjoyed a delicious meal as they sat beside the window, admiring the view. Once they had finished eating, and Draco had quickly visited the bathroom, the couple went for a walk in the hotel's grounds, and Draco pointed out which lake they would be visiting later that evening. Their walk in the grounds eventually turned into a trip down to the nearby village, and by the time they returned to the hotel, it was time for them to get ready for their moonlit boat ride.
"I've got another surprise for you," Draco said as they reached the door of their room. "You need to close your eyes."
"You spoil me," Hermione sighed as she did as she was told and closed her eyes. Seconds later, Draco's hands moved to cover her closed eyes and he guided her into the bedroom.
"You can open them," he announced as he removed his hands.
When she opened her eyes, Hermione gasped as she was greeted by the sight of a beautiful white summer dress with small red roses printed on it, hanging on the front of the wardrobe. And when she looked down, she found a pair of flat white sandals sitting underneath.
"It's lovely, but what's the occasion?" she asked.
"You," Draco replied, dropping a kiss to her cheek. "It's for you to wear, tonight."
"I love it, thank you," Hermione said, wrapping her arms around Draco and giving him a searing kiss. "But this wasn't in my bag."
"It wasn't," Draco agreed. "I didn't want it getting ruined, so I arranged to have to sent over earlier. It was in the wardrobe when we were here earlier, and I just arranged to have it displayed for our return."
"You're so sweet," Hermione chuckled.
"Don't tell anyone, you'll ruin my reputation," Draco joked. "Now get ready, we've got a boat to catch."
Wanting to look her best, since Draco had treated her to a new outfit, Hermione took the time to tame her wild hair into soft curls, and she carefully applied her make-up. She then found a set of sexy white underwear that would go with the dress and slipped them on. It was then time to slip on the dress, which fell to just above her knee, and slide on the comfortable looking sandals.
"Does it fit?" Draco asked from across the room, where he was also making an effort and dressing in a pair of dark trousers and a dark green shirt.
"Perfectly," Hermione replied as she gave Draco a twirl, causing the skirt of the dress to rise slightly and give him a flash of her knickers.
"You look amazing," Draco said sincerely.
"So do you," Hermione returned with a smile. Draco was one of those people who always looked as though they'd walked out of a fashion magazine, but tonight he was looking especially hot and sexy. "If I didn't love the idea of this romantic boar ride, I would just suggest going back to bed."
"We'll have time for that later," Draco chuckled. "Our boat will be waiting."
Not wanting to miss her romantic boat ride, Hermione gathered her wand and followed Draco out of their room. Heading back to the village they'd visited earlier, Draco led them a small jetty on the lake he'd pointed out earlier, where a small boat was waiting for them. Draco has also thought to find them someone to drive the boat, and after Draco greeted him in Italian, they settled at the back of the boat as it started it's journey.
"I didn't know you spoke Italian," Hermione remarked. She was aware that Draco was fluent in French, but it was the first time she'd heard him speak Italian.
"Blaise decided to teach us all in sixth year, but it turned out he only knew swear words and how to proposition a witch, so we found a book and taught ourselves," Draco replied with a shrug. "Or rather, Theo and I did. Blaise was happy to just know the dirty words."
"Now why am I not surprised," Hermione chuckled. "That sounds like Blaise. Honestly, I don't know how Daphne puts up with him."
"According to Blaise, he's dynamite in bed and it makes Daphne overlook a lot," Draco joked.
"She has mentioned his prowess on more than one occasion," Hermione admitted.
"Have you mentioned my prowess?" Draco asked with a smirk. "I bet I could put Blaise to shame."
"I may have mentioned your abilities on one or two occasions," Hermione replied with a slight shrug.
"Anytime you want to boast, feel free," Draco said magnanimously.
"And boost your already sizeable ego even further? I don't think so," Hermione chuckled. "My friends and I have better things to talk about than your sexual abilities."
"What could be better than letting the world know how I amazing I am at satisfying you?" Draco questioned with a laugh.
Laughing lightly, Hermione leant her head against Draco's shoulder as they sat back to enjoy their ride. With the moonlight shining above them and the stars twinkling, it really was a magical experience, and Hermione was just about to announce that she never wanted to return to the hotel when she spotted they were approaching a small island in the centre of the lake.
"What's going on?" she asked as the boat pulled up beside the small jetty.
"Another surprise," Draco announced with a grin as he helped Hermione from the boat and had another word with the driver in Italian. "Come on, this way," he said, leading her down the jetty.
The second they stepped off the jetty onto the grass, Hermione spotted a trail of red rose petals. Following the trail, they climbed up a small hill and passed through a thicket of trees before emerging back into the moonlight, where they stood overlooking a small, likely man-made, beach. Only the beach wasn't deserted as Hermione would have expected. She could spot a small group of figures standing beside the lake edge.
"What is going on?" Hermione asked, feeling as though she'd asked the same questions dozens of times over the course of the day.
"The final surprise," Draco replied with a grin as he took hold of Hermione's hand and led her down the small incline and onto the golden sand.
As they started to head towards the group of people, Hermione sucked in her breath as the group become clearer and she began to recognise people. The first person she recognised was Ron, who stood out due to his red hair. But once she'd spotted Ron, she could see Harry was also present as was Draco's best friend, Blaise Zabini and his long term partner and Hermione's good friend, Daphne Greengrass. There was also another older wizard with the group, but Hermione's didn't recognise him.
"What is all this?" she asked as they reached the group of their friends, all of whom were grinning like idiots.
Dropping to one knee, Draco took hold of Hermione's hand and smiled up at her. "Hermione, will you marry me?"
"I am marrying you, next weekend," Hermione replied in confusion.
"No, will you marry me right now?" Draco asked as the other chuckled softly in the background.
"What?" Hermione squeaked. "We can't get married now."
"Why not?" Draco asked as he got back to his feet. "It's what our friends are here for."
"But it's crazy," Hermione protested. "What about next weekend. Your mother would kill us if we cancelled the wedding at this last stage."
"We're not going to cancel the wedding," Draco replied with a chuckle. "Only this way, you might not be as stressed. Even if something does go wrong, it won't matter because we're already married."
"You knew about this?" Hermione asked Harry, wondering why he'd never hinted at anything when she'd seen him earlier in the day.
"I did," Harry replied with a grin. "It was the reason Ron and I had lunch together. And I'm sorry Ginny isn't here, but she had a game tonight."
"You still haven't answered my question," Draco said. "Will you marry me, Hermione?"
"Absolutely," Hermione grinned, wrapping her arms around Draco and giving him a searing kiss.
"Thank Merlin for that, I thought we'd come out here for nothing," Ron joked.
"Thank you all for being here," Hermione said, smiling at her friends as she disentangled herself from Draco. "And I'm guessing, I have Daphne to thank for the dress."
"It was my pleasure," Daphne replied, returning Hermione's smile.
"And we weren't going to miss our friends getting married," Blaise added.
"Sorry I kept it so small, but this has to stay secret," Draco said. "My mother would kill us if she knew what we were doing here."
"Yet, you still organised all of this for me," Hermione said with a small smile.
"I would do anything for you," Draco replied seriously. "You were just getting so stressed, and I didn't want you to make yourself ill. So I figured if we were already married, you might be a bit more relaxed next weekend. This way, nothing will spoil us getting married."
"I love it," Hermione said. "And just think, we get to have two anniversaries."
"Good luck on that, Malfoy," Ron snorted good naturedly. "In years to come you'll be able to get into trouble for forgetting not one, but two, wedding anniversaries."
"Surely I won't forget them both, will I?" Draco asked with a frown.
"You better not forget either," Hermione said, slapping her fiancé lightly on the arm.
"As if I'm ever going to forget the day I married the most beautiful witch in the world," Draco said, grinning at Hermione.
"Let's get on with this before Malfoy drowns us in any more sap," Ron chuckled. "Honestly, mate, you have a reputation as a tough bastard you know. I've even heard it said that ice runs in your veins rather than blood."
"It's my wedding day, I'm allowed to be emotional," Draco retorted.
With everyone in high spirits, Draco introduced Hermione to the minister, who was the older wizard she hadn't recognised. The group then gathered around Draco and Hermione as they stood in front of the minister with the lake lapping at the sand beside them. Luckily, Blaise had remembered to bring the wedding rings and they were able to exchange rings as they said heartfelt vows under the bright Italian moonlight.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife," the minister announced with a smile. "You may kiss the bride."
"About time too," Draco remarked as he gathered Hermione in his arms and dipped her in his arms as they kissed passionately.
Behind them, their friends hooted and cheered as finally the couple came up for air. Wishing them the best of luck, the Minister traced the path Hermione and Draco had originally followed, leaving the group to celebrate in private.
"How are we getting back if the Minister is taking the boat?" Hermione asked.
"The boat will be coming back for us in an hour," Draco replied. "But in the mean time, we've got a wedding picnic to attend."
"A picnic?" Hermione asked, looking around and seeing no sign of any picnic.
However, the others were prepared, and running up to the trees, they produced a couple of picnic baskets. Once Ron had spread a large throw on the sand, the food was unpacked from the baskets and laid out before them. Champagne was also produced, and once everyone had a glass, Blaise made a toast.
"To the secret Mr and Mrs Malfoy," he announced.
"The secret Mr and Mrs Malfoy," everyone chorused as they raised a glass to the happy couple.
"I can't believe we're married," Hermione announced with glee as she grinned with Draco.
"I can't believe I have to wait a week before I can call you Mrs Malfoy in public," Draco joked. "No-one will know I no longer have a fiancée, but instead I have wife."
"I'll know, and in private you can call me anything you want," Hermione said, snuggling close to Draco as they sat on the edge of the picnic blanket.
"Hey, hey, hey, remember you have an audience," Harry called as the couple began to kiss and Draco's hands started to wander. "Save it until you're back at the hotel."
"I guess we can control ourselves for an hour," Hermione conceded with a sigh.
"But they second we're alone, we are consummating this marriage," Draco grinned. "I've never slept with a married woman before."
"And I've never slept with a married man," Hermione chuckled. "I hope he can still keep me satisfied."
"I will keep you satisfied until the day one of us dies," Draco vowed. "I intend for us to be like my parents."
"What? Still in love after being married for so long?" Hermione asked. Draco's parents were one of the happiest couples she knew, and she really did hope their marriage turned out to be as successful as the older Malfoys.
"I was thinking more along the lines of still being randy old goats and not being able to keep our hands off each other, but the love thing applies as well," Draco said.
"I can just picture it now," Daphne chuckled. "They're going to be one of those nauseating couples who are still madly in love when they're doddering old crones."
"Yep, that's the aim," Hermione replied with a grin.
In high spirits the group finished their wedding picnic, and once they were all packed up they headed back to the jetty where the boat was waiting for them. Everyone climbed into the boat, and within half an hour they were back in the village where they'd started from.
"Thank you all for coming," Hermione said as she embraced the four friends who had travelled to Italy to witness her secret wedding.
"It was worth it," Harry replied with a grin. "And let's hope this works, and you stop stressing."
"Stress? What stress?" Hermione joked.
"I don't want to rain on your parade, but I need to take the rings back," Blaise said. "I think someone will notice if you're suddenly walking around wearing wedding rings."
"But it looks so settled next to my engagement ring," Hermione pouted, holding out her left hand.
"It'll be back there before you know it," Draco chuckled as he slid his own ring off his hand and gave it to Blaise.
"Okay," Hermione said with a dramatic sigh as she also removed the ring. "Take care of it, Blaise. I want it back next weekend."
"I'll guard it with my life," Blaise vowed as he returned the rings to their boxes and slid it back into his pocket.
"Well, we should be going," Daphne said. "Let's leave the newly-weds to their wedding night."
"Finally," Draco muttered. "I thought you four were settling in for the night."
"We get the message, we're going," Harry chuckled.
Saying their goodbyes, the couples friends headed off home, while Draco and Hermione returned to their honeymoon suite where they celebrated their secret marriage in style. In fact for the rest of the weekend, they did not nothing but make love and enjoy the sights of the Italian Lakes. And by the time they returned home, Hermione was feeling a lot more relaxed about their upcoming second wedding. It turned out Draco was right, it was suddenly a lot less stressful now they were already married and she knew nothing could dent their happiness.
"So, did my plan work?" Draco asked as they settled back in at home. "How are you feeling about next weekend?"
"It'll be a stroll in the park," Hermione replied with a grin. "Nothing will bother me at all. Someone could even fall in the cake, and I wouldn't bat an eyelid."
"Let's not tempt fate," Draco laughed. "I'm sure the wedding will go just fine, but at least now you're relaxed."
"I am," Hermione confirmed. "And I can't wait until next year when we can celebrate two anniversaries."
"That will be fun in the years to come," Draco replied with a smirk.
But it wasn't the two wedding anniversaries that had been the point of the weekend, and both Draco and Hermione were thrilled to find Draco's idea had worked. Over the course of the following week, Hermione was as calm as could be, and when it came to their second wedding day, she was able to relax and enjoy every minute of the beautiful wedding she and Narcissa had organised. In fact she was so relaxed that several people commented that they'd never seen a bride so serene on her wedding day. Of course what most people didn't know was that she and Draco were already married, and for Hermione, the second wedding was an added extra. She was already Mrs Malfoy, and she'd already had the perfect wedding.
The End.